Rache
by Vellichor29
Summary: The Harmony Guild was formed to bury the hatchet between humans and monsters. But eons of bad blood is difficult to wash away, and with the Guildmaster of the Hunter's Guild still in hiding, the Harmony Guild is having trouble consolidating power. The new guild's success rests on one human-monster hybrid hunting down and killing the Guildmaster. Sequel to Weltschmerz.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Traumbild:

Author's Note:

 **Wow… it's been over a full year since Weltschmerz was finished. Weltschmerz did fairly well and there was quite a bit of support behind a sequel, and I was more than happy to give everyone what they wanted. But I wanted it to be special… just like how Weltschmerz came out the first day Monster Hunter Generations came out in America, I wanted Rache to come out the first day Double Cross came out. Unfortunately… Double Cross never came to America, and the moment I heard that it wasn't coming out here, I scrapped what little I had of the story and set it aside out of sheer disappointment.**

 ** _But…_** **Monster Hunter World was announced soon after! I didn't find out about World until a few months ago, but the moment I heard it was coming out on** ** _PC_** **, I picked this story right back up! I finished the story board and I wrote the first chapter months in advance, ready for this moment. I did have a small internal debate over whether I should release the first chapter when World came out for PS4 and XBOX 1, or if I should wait until I actually got it on PC. Once I found out that it wasn't going to be out on PC until** ** _AUTUMN_** **, I decided to go ahead and prepare this story for release as soon as World came out on PS4. So… I don't actually have MH World right now…**

 **So, to do a little recap about what happened in the previous story: our main hero, Zim, found out that he was a human-monster hybrid (with a Rajang, specifically) when he contracted the frenzy virus, before eventually overcoming it to go Apex. Zim decided, upon going Apex, that he was tired of being forced to hunt monsters by the Hunter's Guild, and felt that the Guild was wrongly hunting monsters. He questions the history of the guild and even the practice of hunting itself. So he bands together a group of monster-loving humans known as the Knights of the Wolf and several Elder Dragons to attack Dundorma. After a lengthy struggle, and an encounter with Zim's mother, the Hunter's Guild is pushed back and Dundorma is taken.**

 **This story takes place just a few months after the revolution. The Harmony Guild is formed with Malakai as its Guildmaster, and he has successfully led several campaigns against the remnants of the Hunter's Guild (taking back key cities like Bherna and Cathar), pushing them back even farther. But the war will not end until the Hunter's Guild Guildmaster is dead.**

 **And that's all you really need to know! A nice little summary for those who haven't read Weltschmerz in a while, or for those who haven't read Weltschmerz at all (I would highly recommend reading Weltschmerz before reading this story, but to each his own, I suppose). Just a quick note, though, before we continue. I'm going to try and keep doing chapter titles in German, just like I did in the last story, and I'll give their definitions after the author's note like I did in the last story too. And with** ** _all_** **that said… please, enjoy and happy hunting!**

XXX

 _Rache: Revenge._

 _Traumbild: Vision._

"Breath in… and breath out," a woman with pure white hair said as she sucked in a breath, before letting it out moments later. She was clad in brilliant gold armor, though she wasn't wearing a helmet and there were a few scuff marks on the chest plate. A campfire illuminated her face, otherwise it would have been difficult to see her in the darkness, with only the moon as a light source.

On the other side of the campfire sat a bare-chested man with his eyes closed. He wore similar golden armor as the female across from him, though only below his waist. He followed the woman's instructions, breathing in on command, before breathing out when prompted. A gentle breeze blew black locks of hair into his face, but he didn't seem to react. Whether he didn't care or just didn't notice was difficult to determine from someone as deep into a meditative sleep as he was.

The white-haired woman continued to repeat her instructions, and the black-haired male followed them to the letter. They were in a clearing, surrounded on all sides by forest. Their fire was small, but the warmth it provided staved off the slight chill of the breeze. The relentless buzzing of Bnahabra could be heard all throughout the clearing, though the small Neopteron avoided the fire like the plague.

A loud roar echoed across the Jurassic Frontier, where the two humans were busy meditating, but neither of them stirred. The monster sounded rather far away and was neither of their concern. Besides, hunting monsters wasn't something they did anymore. The two humans continued to focus on their meditation, ignoring the territorial roars of the unidentified monster.

"Focus inwards," the white-haired female requested as she stuck out both of her arms, palms facing upwards. The male continued to breath slowly, in and out, before copying the gesture, though he made sure he set his hands on top of hers, palms facing down.

"A Rajang does not produce its own electricity. After years and years studying them, I have never been able to find a source of their electric power," the female said, speaking slowly as if her words were penetrating a mental barrier around the male's mind. Despite that, her tone was quite soft, though her voice bespoke wisdom and age incomprehensible to most. "But I have been able to construct a number of different theories on how they manage to generate such powerful lightning."

"Is this to help me conduct my own electricity or to help your research?" the male grumbled during one of his exhales, as to not break his meditative cycle. His eyes stayed closed, and he didn't move an inch, trying to remain as deep in the meditative state as possible.

"Quiet," the female hissed, clearly unhappy about his comment. "For your information, it's both. But that's besides the point… the point is that while most monsters that control electricity have some sort of sac that helps produce the charge, but the Rajang has no such electro sac."

The male held back a snide comment as he continued breathing slowly, managing to enter an even deeper meditative state. "However, after observing and studying Lagiacrus' ability to generate electricity, I believe that Rajang's lightning works in a very similar way," the white-haired female explained. "As in, the golden hairs on a Rajang draws in an electric charge and it somehow harnesses it into its beam attack."

"I don't have golden hair," the male grumbled.

"My eyes work fine, Zim," the woman rolled her eyes as if to under line her point. "However, a normal Rajang isn't golden all the time, as you should already know. The golden fur only emerges when a Rajang is enraged."

"So how is meditating supposed to help, Shiro?" Zim asked, raising an eyebrow, though his eyes did not open. "Shouldn't I focus on getting angry instead of calming down?"

"It is true that a monster's enraged state comes from well… rage, but that's not the only time a monster enrages," Shiro explained. "A monster might enter its enraged state if it's tired and running out of stamina, yet can't find anything to eat, out of fear for being killed when it realizes its regeneration is about to wear out, or even simply because there are other monsters in the area during mating season."

"Still doesn't explain the meditation."

"The _idea_ , young one, if you would actually focus on meditating instead of backtalking, is to try and force you into an enraged state with the use of _fear_ ," the white-haired woman said, smirking slightly. "Up until this point, whenever you get angry, your apex state takes over, substituting for a traditional enraged state that most normal monsters have. We're just going to try a different tactic."

"So you're going to try and scare me into an enraged state?" the black-haired male scoffed. To him, it sounded like the stupidest idea he had ever heard. In his mind, nothing frightened him anymore. He had no need of fear, so he had abandoned it, as the apex state would protect him from harm, or any reason to fear anything.

"Not exactly, but you're not too far off," Shiro shrugged. Zim hadn't noticed her move one of her hands to reach into a pouch on her belt. She fished around blindly for a moment before pulling out a needle. Noticing that Zim was starting to realize she had moved her hand, she quickly jabbed the needle into one of his arms and pushed the plunger down before he could do anything.

He let out a surprised snarl as he felt something stab him, though it didn't feel like a blade. His eyes snapped open to see a syringe still sticking out of his arm, causing him to roll away from the white-haired woman, putting some distance between them. "What did you do?" he let out an angry growl as he ripped the needle from his arm and crushed it in his fist.

"Oh… just a little something I whipped up to help frighten you," Shiro smirked. "I had a feeling it would take more than just a jump scare. You should already be beginning to feel the effects…"

Zim stumbled to his knees as the world around him began to spin. His heart beat faster and faster as he felt a cold tingle jolt down his spine, forcing a frightened whimper from his throat. He had forgotten what the icy grip of fear had felt like, and as his brain struggled to figure out where the threat was, panic began rising in his chest, making his rapid heartbeat even more erratic.

But there was no threat to be identified. There was nothing he could fight, nothing he could run from, nothing he could even cower in submission to. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He let out a loud scream, before collapsing onto his side, everything still spinning around him as darkness crept into his field of vision.

Shiro watched as Zim fell onto the ground, staring blankly up at the ground as he did. "Well that didn't work," she grumbled as she watched him pass out. The serum had done exactly as she had hoped it would. Zim had felt truly paralyzing, scream-inducing, panic-filled fear, and yet she had not seen a single golden tuft of fur, nor even the slightest flash of electricity. Even the air didn't feel ionized.

 _I guess I'll mark that down as a failure,_ she sighed to herself, as she looked back down at the fire. He would likely be out for at least a few minutes. Even though she had given him a very small dose, the serum was powerful. _But,_ she realized a moment later as the cackling flames continued to illuminate the hollow, _He didn't go apex either._

XXX

 **** _Zim's eyes snapped open as a loud roar echoed throughout the area. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, before a hand shot up to his pounding head. It felt like a Duramboros had smacked him, causing a dull throbbing pain to lance through his skull every time he even thought about moving._

 _But, despite his aching head, he forced himself to look around as another roar echoed through the area. Luckily he didn't need to look far to discover the source of the roars. A massive Deviljho stood only a few meters away from him, releasing loud roars every few minutes._

 _The thought of an enraged Deviljho caused Zim to panic, despite the pounding in his head. He immediately hopped to his feet and attempted to enter his protective apex state. Only to find, after a few seconds of trying, that he was unable to call the black mist to him. But, upon further inspection, the Deviljho seemed to be targeting something else._

 _Clutching his head again, Zim turned around to see a Rajang on the opposite side of the clearing they were in. The Rajang was clearly glaring at the Deviljho, but wasn't responding to the forest green colored monster's roars with roars of his own. The Rajang's fur was spiked up and had turned golden as electricity sparked around its body._

 _The two elder dragon level monsters were in a deadlock, staring each other down, while the Deviljho let out the occasional roar. Zim, who had yet to be able to activate his apex mode, decided it was best if he got as far away from the two monsters as possible. So he, as quietly as he could, took a step backwards. But that simple action was what seemed to cause the two to break their stalemate._

 _The Deviljho let out an even louder roar, his veins pumping excess blood throughout his body, causing his muscles to swell and old battle scars to become visible again. The Rajang finally let out a roar in response, rearing on his hind legs and beating his chest as even more electricity sparked and surged around him. His arms had taken on a reddish glow, increasing their strength and defense._

 _The Deviljho struck first, lurching forward with surprising speed. The ground thundered from each of his footsteps, causing Zim to nearly loose balance. Though the hybrid's headache did get worse with each step of the World Eater. The Rajang didn't move from his spot, watching the Deviljho close the distance with a surprisingly calm expression, for a Rajang._

 _But, in an instant, the Rajang sucked in a breath and exhaled a beam of lightning. The beam sliced through the Deviljho, electrocuting its insides. The Deviljho lost momentum as he screamed in pain, lightning being one of his key weaknesses. The monster's high speed regeneration began repairing the damage the moment the Rajang stopped firing its beam, but the Golden Lion didn't give the World Eater even a moment to heal._

 _The Rajang rushed forward, and punched the Deviljho across the face, breaking the World Eater's jaw with a loud_ _ **crack!**_ _The Deviljho let out a squeal as the sheer force of the blow nearly knocked him off his feet, but the Rajang still wasn't finished, as a flurry of punches slammed into the World Eater's side, the sound of bones breaking still audible to Zim._

 _The Deviljho attempted to counter the Rajang with a furious bite, but the Golden Lion leapt high into the air, far outside of the Deviljho's reach. The World Eater was unable to move out of the way with his injuries, and was subjected to a back-breaking attack by the Rajang. The Golden Lion curled up into a ball and began spinning as he plummeted back down to the floor, slamming into the Deviljho's spine._

 _The World Eater was forced onto the ground from the sheer force of the blow, not to mention his spine breaking. His high speed regeneration was having trouble keeping up with all the different wounds he was accumulating so quickly. But the Rajang still wasn't done. He rolled off the Deviljho's back and skidded to a stop on the ground, before immediately firing another lightning beam at the brute wyvern's side._

 _Zim actually had to take a step to the side to avoid being hit by the beam, as once again the beam sliced right through the Deviljho's flesh and disappeared into the void around the clearing. Once the Rajang closed its mouth, ending his lightning breath attack, he didn't continue the assault. Rather, he stood there and panted, waiting to see if the Deviljho had survived the assault._

 _To both Zim and the Rajang's surprises, the Deviljho had survived. A sizzling sound filled the air as the World Eater's flesh and muscles began repairing itself, before the monster's bones snapped back into place. The Deviljho hefted himself off the ground with another loud roar, his muscles seemingly getting even bigger as more and more blood pumped through his veins._

 _The Deviljho sucked in a breath, before whipping around as fast as he could, exhaling his dragon breath. The red and black cloud of dragon element blasted out of the Deviljho's mouth, heading straight for the Rajang. The Rajang, however, simply ignored the dragon breath as he once again rushed into the fray._

 _The World Eater did not let up, however, continuously backing up and using its dragon breath, hoping to force the Golden Lion to stumble, giving the brute wyvern the upper hand. But eventually, the Rajang caught up to his foe, before giving the Deviljho a vicious uppercut. The World Eater's jaws snapped shut with a painful_ _ **clack**_ _and his dragon breath attack was forcefully ended._

 _The Rajang wasted no time in grabbing the brute wyvern's neck and wrestling him to the ground. Zim watched, fascinated, as the fanged beast grabbed the Deviljho's upper and lower jaws, slowly and forcefully prying them apart. The Deviljho struggled against the Rajang's pure strength, but with its miniscule arms, it couldn't reach the Golden Lion to pry or push him away._

 _The World Eater was helpless as the Rajang pulled his skull apart, ripping off his upper jaw and brain case. The Deviljho collapsed onto its side without releasing even so much as a squeal. After repairing so many lethal injuries, the brute wyvern's regeneration couldn't regrow his entire brain._

 _The Golden Lion let out a victorious roar as the Deviljho died, standing up on his hind legs and smashing his foe's skull in his hand. The Rajang dropped back down on all fours and turned around to face Zim. The hybrid's eyes widened as the monster began making its way towards him with a noticeable swagger._

 _Once again, fear shot through the hybrid's chest, as he still was unable to call upon the apex state, and the Rajang was getting closer and closer. Zim stood rooted to the spot as the Rajang made his way up to the hybrid, before stopping only a few feet away, the monster's golden fur receding back onto his back. "And that's how you fight a Deviljho, Zǐ," the Rajang smirked._

 _Zim blinked up at the Rajang, before checking behind him to see if the monster was addressing someone else. But, after a quick scan of the clearing, Zim and the Rajang were the only living things in the area. "Ha! Speechless, eh? Serves you right for doubting me," the Rajang chuckled as Zim looked back at him._

 _ **He's talking to me,**_ _Zim realized as he licked his lips slowly. This was his chance… he had no idea what had happened, or where he was, but this was an actual Rajang in front of him. Perhaps he could ask the Golden Lion about his lightning. Mustering up his courage, Zim looked the Rajang right in the eyes and asked, "How do you gather the lightning required for that beam attack?"_

 _The Rajang cocked his head, looking at Zim as if he had grown a second head. "What? That's the third time you've asked me that, Zǐ," the fanged beast said, narrowing his eyes. "And for the third time I've told you that I can't tell you until you pass your trial."_

 _Zim glared at the Rajang, muttering to himself about how 'of course it wasn't this easy.' "Then could you remind me what my trial is?" he asked, desperately searching for clues to the secret of the Rajang's lightning._

 _"_ _You have a very poor memory, Zǐ. Xiānbèi told you that your trial was…" the Rajang trailed off as he looked up at the sky. Zim's eyes narrowed as he too glanced up, only for his eyes to widen as he saw something red rushing towards him and the Rajang._

 _Neither of them had time to react as a screeching sound filled their ears, before something big and fast landed between them, blasting Zim off his feet, and throwing him across the clearing. The hybrid hit the ground hard as a dull ringing filled his ears. Darkness quickly overtook his vision before he was able to see what had happened to the Rajang, though he did manage to catch a glimpse of what had hit him._

 _It was a slender silver dragon standing on four legs with a massive pair of wings on its back. An elder dragon, no doubt. And from the tips of its wings came a continuous jet of mysterious red energy, almost like a flame, but somehow closer to the Deviljho's dragon breath. The monster glanced at Zim just in time for the hybrid to see its blue eyes, before he lost consciousness._

XXX

 **Ah, finally, the first chapter of a long-awaited sequel. The first chapter is always the hardest, even if you have a story board ready to go. I struggled a bit with whether I wanted this to be a prologue chapter, where it focused more on Zim's inability to draw lightning, or an actual chapter, throwing everyone right into the fray with action. In the end I decided upon a hybrid of sorts… definitely not a prologue, but it still explores a bit of Zim's key struggle throughout this story.**

 **And a lot, quite a lot, of you wanted to see Zim go 'Super Saiyan' in the last story. And, while I agree that it would be cool, it didn't quite fit how I wanted it to in the previous story. And whether or not Zim actually manages to go 'Super Saiyan' in this story is yet to be seen…**

 **For those of you who are just finding out, Rajang don't actually make their own lightning, like a Khezu does. Rather, they get their lightning from another source… more like a Zinogre might. Those of you who already know how Rajang generate their electricity probably already know what the trial the Rajang in Zim's dream spoke of is.**

 **On another note about the Rajang, I decided to give them a special thing, like I did for Fuun and for Nova. While Nova speaks German and Fuun Japanese, I decided to make Rajang vaguely Chinese. The Chinese words the Rajang uses were found via a dictionary, and hopefully mean what I want them to mean, as I don't speak the language. But I won't translate them for you now… that'll come later down the line.**

 **Clearly the dream Zim had was a premonition of some kind. So the questions must be asked… why did that Rajang treat Zim like a companion? Why was that Rajang showing Zim how to fight Deviljho? And what the hell was that elder dragon at the very end? All that and more… next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Erkenntnis:

Author's Note:

 **I'm so happy that so many of you were excited about the last chapter. I'm also very happy that the long wait for the sequel to Weltschmerz didn't cause anyone (or at least too many people) to abandon hope. I know that posting seems a bit slow, especially when compared with how quickly Weltschmerz updated, but I have early classes every day, and that makes it difficult to find time at night to write when I'd rather be sleeping. Ah… I remember the days when I had no reason not to stay up until four in the morning, just writing stories…**

 **On another note, despite not actually** _ **having**_ **Monster Hunter World, it looks** _ **great**_ **. Amazing, even. Unlike a lot of people, I don't care at all about spoilers (** _ **especially**_ **since I won't be able to get the game for another half a year), so I've been watching walkthroughs and let's plays so I can prepare myself for when I finally get the game. And so I'm not kept out of the loop.**

 **Anyways, I can chat** _ **all**_ **day about MH World (or any Monster Hunter game, for that matter… I** _ **have**_ **sunk almost** _ **two thousand**_ **hours into the series as a whole), but I doubt many of you came to this story to hear me yammer on about a game I don't have yet. But, if for some reason my thoughts** _ **do**_ **interest you, drop me a PM, or ask in a review or whatever and I'll PM you, and we can chat until the sun sets. And with all that being said, we can actually get to the story! Please, enjoy!**

XXX

 _Erkenntnis: A type of realization or discovery_

Zim's eyes snapped open as he sat up quickly, entering the apex state out of reflex. Black mist surrounded his body, his eyes going blood red as he glanced around the area, scanning the clearing for threats. However, all he saw was Shiro and a campfire that she was holding her hands over.

"You're awake," the white-haired woman noted as she spotted the hybrid glaring at her. She didn't particularly care that he wasn't happy with her at the moment. Though the scientist in her was very curious as to what had happened to him.

"Awake… I was dreaming," Zim growled, though mostly to himself. He let the black mist fade as he deactivated the apex state. He pushed himself off the ground and stretched. He had not fallen in a particularly comfortable position.

"Dreaming? About what?" Shiro asked, instantly intrigued. She took a step back from the fire and plopped down onto the ground, crossing one leg over the other.

"It's… it's not important," he sighed, shaking his head as he made his way closer to the fire, before sitting down across from Shiro. "Because what _is_ important is whatever the hell you injected me with. And _why_ you injected it into me!"

"I was experimenting," she shrugged, as if it was no big deal. "And besides, you said that you wanted to learn how to control electricity under any circumstance… and that means being subjected to experiments. As that's the only way we'll be able to unlock this power within you."

He let out a low sigh, bringing his hands up to his head to rub his temples. Technically, he had promised he would be her lab rat… _after_ they had caught or killed the old guildmaster. Sometimes it felt like she was using him as a lab rat despite them having zero success in their mission.

"Anyways… if you're not going to talk about your dream, and if you're not going to yell at me for injecting you with something that could've easily killed you-"

"Hold on, what?" Zim asked, renewing his glare at Shiro. He was unaware that he could've been killed.

"Then we should be heading back to Bherna," the white-haired woman finished, ignoring her son's concerns. She pushed herself off the ground and stretched, cracking a few century-year old joints as she did.

"I suppose so…" Zim grumbled, realizing that she was never going to bring it up again. She was so difficult to deal with sometimes. But nevertheless, he helped her kick dirt over their fire, before leading the way back to Bherna.

XXX

Bherna was one of the first cities the Harmony Guild managed to gain control over, besides Dundorma itself. Bherna was relatively unknown among the hunters of the Hunter's Guild, and Malakai was the only hunter permanently posted there. He had spent months gaining goodwill from the people and Wyverians who lived there, so much so that when it came time to take Bherna from the Hunter's Guild, there wasn't a single battle.

The Wycademy was a different beast, however. Despite Dr. Steele being the headmistress, many of the older students had trained and studied their whole lives to become _hunters_. They resisted the change in curriculum, and they quickly learned of what was going on outside the Wycademy's walls. They were too far gone for anyone to save, and Dr. Steele was forced to expel all of them.

They revolted, of course, but their little revolution didn't get very far. What little remained of the Knights of the Wolf and what strength Dr. Steele herself had put the revolt down and forced them to abandon Bherna. They ran away with their tails between their legs, hoping, praying to find the secret hideout of the Hunter's Guild so they could help bolster their forces. Dr. Steele had doubted many would be able to make it, as they weren't quite full-fledged hunters yet, and most would probably have been picked off by monsters along the way.

Once the Wycademy was completely under Dr. Steele's control, and the Harmony Guild's as well through her, a new curriculum was put in place. The younger students knew very little of the outside world, and those that did actually notice the change in subjects didn't voice their complaints. It was indoctrination, but it was no different than what the Hunter's Guild had been doing.

Now all that was left to do was deny the Hunter's Guild any territory to hunt out here. The Jurassic Frontier was home to many different monster species, both old and new. It was the reason Bherna was even founded, it was a home base to not just hunt monsters, but to research them as well.

Destroying the Hunter's Guild wasn't just about taking their cities, slaughtering their hunters, or even just killing the Guildmaster. It was about denying them places to hunt. Already they've lost many hunting grounds, including a huge section of the Jurassic Frontier. But all that's managed to accomplish was pushing them out of the mapped out hunting zones and deeper into the frontier.

Which was why Zim and his mother were here in the first place. If the Hunter's Guild was using the Jurassic Frontier as their hunting grounds, then there was a chance that they were hiding somewhere deep in the frontier. And Zim was there to root them out. Or at the very least, restrict their hunting grounds even further.

Zim made his way into the main square of the small town of Bherna, Shiro right behind him. The moment they entered the town, a hush fell over the usually chatty townsfolk. They were wary of him and his mother, they could tell something was wrong with them. As if they could sense the power hidden beneath their skin and the danger they could pose.

"You're back," a female's voice split the silence, drawing the two former hunters over to a woman with pinkish-red eyes and dark brown hair, wearing an unknown gunner set of armor. A bow was slung around her back and she carried a quiver by her waist, where her hands were currently sitting. A pure black Palico leaned against her legs, waving at Zim as he walked towards them.

"Indeed," Zim replied, walking past the female and the Palico, heading straight towards a small house. He had a stern frown on his face and a slight bite to his tone, but other than that, it was nearly impossible to tell he was annoyed.

"Uh… no luck then, I suppose?" the female asked as she followed Zim into the small house. She managed to shut the door in time to lock out both the Palico and Shiro. The two exchanged glances, Shiro rolling her eyes as she did, before they went their separate ways.

"No luck," Zim echoed as he sat down on a bed, leaning back against the back wall as he did. He shut his eyes and let out a tired sigh. "I'm not sure if I'm capable of the lightning, Ruby."

The woman designated Ruby took off her bow and quiver and set it off to the side, before leaning against a wall. "Well, as disappointing as that may be… I do have to ask," she said carefully. "Do you really need the lightning?"

The hybrid's eyes snapped open to glare at her. "What kind of Rajang would I be if I couldn't summon the lightning?" he growled.

"You're not a Rajang, Zim," Ruby's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms. "You're not even _half_ Rajang, if I'm forced to be your voice of reason. Maybe it's time to face the fact that you might not be able to use lightning… and you're plenty scary enough without it."

"This isn't about _fear!_ " he snarled as he leapt off the bed and made his way over to her. They were practically the same height. "And even if I was only one percent Rajang I should be able to use their lightning! I… I just don't know their secret yet."

"Their secret?" she asked, resisting the urge to get angry. Though she could feel the frenzy within her screaming at her to lose control… she would not let it win. "What does that even mean?"

"I don't know… not yet at least," he shook his head, calming down as well. "Shiro explained to me Rajang anatomy… to some degree. The point is, Rajang gather their lightning through some external means… they don't make it inside of them."

"That's nice, but you still don't know _how_ they do it… or whether or not _you_ can do it too," she rolled her eyes as he made his way back over to the bed. "Once again I raise the question of why you _need_ the lightning."

"When we find the guildmaster, I'm going to fry him before he ever gets a chance to escape," Zim replied, sitting back down on the bed, and leaning against the wall. "I won't give him a second to move or react… I'm just going to fry him."

"As noble a cause as that might be… the guildmaster is already backed up against a corner. He had _nowhere_ to run," Ruby reminded him. "Besides, killing him from a distance with a Rajang's lightning beam seem rather cheap. If I were in your position, I'd rather kill him with my bare hands…"

"Yes, yes, I know you would," he chuckled, finally letting a smirk play across his face as she clenched her hand into a fist as if she was smashing a skull in her palm. "And while I agree it would be rather cathartic, I'd like to remain cautious. I don't know what kind of tricks the guildmaster has up his sleeve."

"Hiding seems to be the only thing he's good at," she rolled her eyes. "If he was any good of a fighter, he would've faced us head-on. But no, he ran and he hid… and even if he manages to escape when we find him, he'll only run and hide once more."

"That being said, it's a game of cat and mouse that I'd really rather not play," he shook his head. "And the sooner this is over, the better… no matter how much I would enjoy smashing his skull with my bare hands."

"Fine, fine… when you're right, you're right," Ruby chuckled, rolling her eyes again. "But there's no guarantee that you'll even figure out the Rajangs' 'secret' before we find him."

"True, though I doubt the guildmaster would let his hunters hunt so close to his hideout… this is probably all just a diversion," Zim sighed.

"Then what's your next move?" she asked.

He paused for a moment, remembering the dream he had less than an hour ago. "I think trying to come up with the solution on my own isn't going to work. Not even Shiro knows the answer to the Rajang's secret," he frowned. "I think my only option is to actually make contact with a Rajang."

"… What?" she asked, cocking her head.

"I've been trying to figure this out with humans helping me, when really… I need a Rajang's insight," he repeated, another small smirk spreading across his face.

"Oh, okay… why not just tear your own head off, then?" Ruby asked, sarcasm strewn throughout her tone. "Rajangs are dangerous!"

"So am I," Zim chuckled. "And I'm part Rajang… if anyone can make contact with one, it's me."

"Rajangs are violent even towards their own kind… they're _elder dragon level monsters!_ " she exclaimed.

"And I've tangled with plenty of _real_ elder dragons, I can handle one or two Rajang," he smirked.

She glared at him for a moment, before letting out an exasperated sigh. "If anyone can deal with Rajangs, I suppose it would be you…" she admitted a moment later.

"And I've got the Apex state to fall back on," he reminded her. "I'm pretty much indestructible."

"I guess that means you never want anyone to worry about you again?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. All she got in response was a soft chuckle, to which she snorted. "And I'm guessing there's no chance you'll let me go on this… mission of yours with you?"

"Absolutely no chance," Zim shook his head as he stood from the bed again, his mind made up.

"As fair as that might be… you should at least take Shiro with you…" Ruby suggested, rubbing her temples. "She's nearly as indestructible as you are…"

"I'll consider it," Zim rolled his eyes, clearly not happy about Ruby's suggestion. Why she would ever suggest such a thing was beyond him… he was under the impression that she hated Shiro as much as he did. "But I'm not leaving immediately. We still have a mission here, and I plan on seeing that through."

"Speaking of our mission…" Ruby trailed off as she seemed to remember something she should've brought up earlier. "Blast found a few slaughtered Larinoths during his patrol after you left. He said they looked suspicious."

"Suspicious?" the hybrid asked, raising an eyebrow. "Suspicious how."

"He said that they were killed in such a way that he was supposed to believe that a monster had killed them," she explained. "But the cuts on the Larinoths' body are far too clean to be done by claws or teeth."

"Have you seen the bodies yet?"

"No… Blast wanted to wait for you and Shiro before showing the bodies."

"Really? Well… Shiro and I are back now… let's regroup and see these bodies for ourselves," Zim growled as he made his way out of the house, wishing that Ruby had brought this up sooner.

Ruby grabbed her bow and quiver on her way out, racing after the hybrid as he headed straight towards a pure black Palico lounging in the center of the town. Shiro was standing near the gate of the town, chatting with a different Palico who was watching over an air balloon of some sort.

"Blast, Shiro!" Zim called out, his voice echoing through the small town. The pure black Palico and the white-haired woman turned to look at him. Blast couldn't help the excited expression on his face while Shiro raised an eyebrow. She had no idea what was going on. "We're moving out!" the hybrid commanded, gesturing towards the gate leading down into the Frontier.

XXX

 **Yeah, I know, a really short chapter for how long I made you all wait. Ugh, like I said, working on this story is going to be rather difficult in the upcoming weeks… and it's looking like I'll be busy most of the summer too. No rest for the wicked I suppose…**

 **Anyways, despite how short the chapter is, it sets up a few rather important things. Hopefully you can see what those things are without me having to point them out. In any case, next chapter should be longer, I hope… and I hope it doesn't take quite as long to finish either. Stay tuned until next time to find out what happens when the group heads out into the frontier!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Unsichtbar:

Author's Note:

 **Yeah, I know the last chapter was short… it was more of an in between chapter anyways. Just something put out while I was busy. But it's Spring Break now, so I can put out a real chapter! There's not much to go over from the last chapter, so let's jump right in! Please, enjoy!**

XXX

 _Unsichtbar: Invisible_

The trek into the Jurassic Frontier was short. Bherna was on a hillside overlooking the frontier, which made it a prime target for monster attacks. Or at least, it used to, until Bherna's defenses were erected. Namely, an abandoned basecamp not far from the gate leading to Bherna. Which Zim and his companions were just passing through.

The Jurassic Frontier had two basecamps, both of which were abandoned. One was a site within the frontier itself that had been erected when the first researchers were trying to study the local wildlife. It had been destroyed by a Glavenus not long after it had first been founded. The second basecamp was just outside of the frontier and had finished construction only a few days before Zim and his comrades had attacked Dundorma, driving the Hunters Guild away. It too was abandoned, but not destroyed.

Blast bounded into the frontier, taking the lead away from Zim. The black Palico led the others towards the Larinoths he had found on his patrol. "They're mewover here!" he exclaimed, skidding to a stop only a few moments later. Sure enough, several sauropod dinosaur-like bodies were lying dead in a small pool of shallow water. A river ran through the area, and the corpses were partially submerged in the deeper end of the stream.

"Those are definitely slaughtered Larinoths… what's so special about them?" Shiro asked, glaring at Blast. Clearly, she wasn't happy about being rushed out of the village for a possible false alarm.

"I don't think they were killed by monsters, nya," Blast explained as he padded over to the closest Larinoth. "Look at these slash marks! Too clean for a monster's claws or teeth."

"What about a Glavenus? It could make cuts that clean with its tail," Ruby spoke up. Zim ignored all three of them, however, as he approached the closest monster corpse and knelt down next to it.

"This wasn't done by a Glavenus," Zim muttered, extending his hand to trace one of the lacerations. "A Glavenus would've gone straight for the kill, lopping off their heads as quickly as possible."

"Then a Nargacuga maybe? Come on, there are dozens of different monster species! It's just a coincidence that these look like…"

"No… a Nargacuga wouldn't have done this either. These kills were made earlier this morning… a Narga only hunts at night. And besides, there are no teeth marks, there's no way a monster did this," Zim growled. "Look at the direction of the slashes… they're all cutting upwards. A Glavenus, a Narga, hell, even a Zinogre all would've slashed downwards. There's only one species who would attack upwards like this…"

"A human did this," Shiro finished with a sigh. "Or more likely, a group of them. Either this is just someone who hasn't gotten the memo, or this is a group of hunters looking to score."

"My guess is the latter. A lone human wouldn't have gone out of his way to hide his presence like this. Only a group of hunters would be this careful," Zim suggested.

"Why would the Hunter's Guild risk killing anything this close to Bherna?" Ruby asked, glancing out into the frontier. "Surely there's prey further out they could've hunted."

"Could be a trap," Shiro shrugged. "Could be just that they wrongly believed we'd immediately believe they weren't stupid enough to try something like this."

"Either way, it's undeniable proof that the Hunter's Guild is at the very least operating in the Jurassic Frontier," Zim growled. "And if it is a trap… they're still here."

"So what's our next move?" Ruby asked, looking over at Zim.

A devilish smirk spread across the young hybrid's face as he let the apex state loose, black mist rising up around his form as he did. " **We spring the trap,"** he grinned.

XXX

The trail was quite difficult to pick up, actually. The hunters were likely wearing armor made from monsters, making it very difficult for Zim to pick up their scents, even in his apex state. It was only by chance that they stumbled upon a discarded whetstone in what Shiro had revealed the guild was going to call area eight. If they hadn't found it, they never would've been able to find the trap in area six.

Or at least, what they thought was a trap. In reality, Zim wasn't sure what to call it, other than stupid. Four hunters, and they were very clearly hunters, judging by their armor and weapons, were in the process of fighting a Rathian. They looked rather focused on the fight, and not on the four figures watching them from the shadows. If this was a trap, it was a very poor one.

"They don't seem to be paying attention to us…" Shiro deadpanned. "Some trap this is…"

" **Trap or not, we cannot let them kill that Rathian,"** Zim growled, cracking his neck as he stepped from the shadows. " **We'll catch them off-guard, and hopefully that Rathian will give us a hand…"**

"She'll probably fly away the moment she can," Ruby rolled her eyes as she pulled her bow off her back and nocked an arrow. Blast readied his katana, though it was barely large enough to be a wakizashi to a full-sized human. Shiro pulled her longsword off her back and readied it.

" **Let's go,"** Zim hissed as he crouched down a bit, and began creeping towards the hunters. His companions followed behind him, being as stealthy as they could, though Shiro's armor clanked and clunked with each step. The large grasslands of area six was very poorly covered, but the hunters were far too busy with the Rathian to notice.

Finally, Zim and his comrades got close enough to the group of hunters to launch their surprise attack. The hybrid leapt from the tall grass and raced towards the closest hunter, letting out a frightening _roar_ as he did. "Rajang!" one of the hunters cried out, immediately dropping to the ground, expecting to be blasted with an energy beam.

There were four hunters in total, all male. The hunter who had just cried out and dropped to the ground was wielding a bowgun. His light armor and prone stance made him easy prey for Ruby's bow, who quickly picked him off with an accurate shot directly into his neck. He let out a gurgled cry, convulsing on the ground, but he did not get up.

The two furthest hunters away from Zim's position were both using longswords and were wearing matching armor. Siblings, most likely. Shiro raced towards the two of them, her Seregios longsword drawn and ready. Blast followed behind her, drawing a horn from his pouch, and holding it up to his lips, ready to buff the white-haired woman when she engaged the two hunters farthest from Zim.

The moment the two longsword wielding hunters broke off contact from the Rathian and turned to engage Shiro, the green wyvern flapped her wings and took off. She had no interest in sticking around, or even finding out what the hell was even going on. She just wanted to go back to her hatchlings.

The fourth hunter had ran the moment he spotted Zim. He was wearing some type of brown plate armor and was carrying a switch axe on his back. Clearly, he recognized Zim and his companions, and knew how dangerous they were. He had no intention of fighting them, but Zim wasn't about to let him get away.

The hybrid raced after the hunter at full speed. The hunter must've used a dash juice or something for stamina, because he wasn't slowing down. But it wouldn't matter in the end, he was wearing heavy armor, and Zim wasn't. The hybrid would catch up eventually, it was only a matter of time.

The hunter must've realized this before he made it out of what the guild was going to call area six, as he turned around and drew his switch axe directly into sword mode. The hunter let out a war cry and swung his weapon at Zim. Only for the sharp blade to spark against the hybrid's skin, as if it was grating against steel, before being completely deflected.

" **Even with natural mind's eye, you can't hurt me,"** Zim managed a smirk, before cocking his fist back, and letting it fly at a vicious speed. His fist slammed into the hunter's chest, denting the plate armor from the force of the blow, and causing the human to collapse onto the ground, gasping for air.

The hybrid didn't hesitate in slamming his foot down on the hunter's helmet, crushing it in a single stomp. Blood burst from the hunter's helmet, staining the earth beneath him, as well as Zim's armored boot. But the hybrid simply ignored it, as he turned to make sure the other hunters had been dealt with.

Shiro had easily dealt with the two longsword siblings, bisecting both of them with the roundslash finisher of her spirit combo. She sheathed her Seregios longsword in a single smooth motion, before letting out a soft sigh. "That wasn't much of a trap…" she grumbled.

"No… and we didn't leave any alive to question," Ruby grunted in return, walking over to the hunter she had killed, and retrieving her arrow. "Though I suppose that's not a bad thing."

" **We already gathered all the information we needed. I'm going to go back to Dundorma and inform Malakai… he'll provide us with the troops we need-"** Zim started to say, but he was cut off before he could finish. Because his chest burst open with two large slash marks in the shape of an X, his blood immediately pouring out of the wounds.

The hybrid's eyes opened wide with surprise as he stumbled backwards. He tripped on something, landing on his back. He let out a ragged cough as more blood poured from his wound and began dripping from the side of his mouth. It had been quite awhile since something had managed to cut him… _but what had done this?_

 _Progress to Ruby's explosion: 99%_

Ruby let out a scream of frustration as she began firing arrows in random directions, hoping to hit something. She hadn't seen what had attacked Zim, only that he was on the ground bleeding, something had managed to cut through his apex-enhanced skin. She turned in a different direction and began firing arrows off once more, hoping to hit whatever it was that had the gall to attack them.

Shiro was a bit more methodical in her analysis of the situation. Although Ruby had believed she had simply just not seen what had attacked Zim, Shiro knew better. Whatever it had been, it _couldn't_ be seen. Which meant they were likely dealing with an invisible enemy of some sort. "Calm down, Ruby dear… blind firing will net us nothing," the white-haired woman suggested as she drew her sword from her back, her eyes narrowed as she tried to pick out a shifting shadow or a slight glimmer that might give away her enemy's position.

Ruby grinded her teeth against each other, but ultimately complied to Shiro's demand. She let out a sigh and turned around, an arrow still nocked in her bow, but she didn't loose it. Blast, who had rushed to Zim's side, ignored the two females who were intensely scanning the area for threats.

With more of the frenzy than usual pumping through her veins, it was Ruby who saw the tall grass move ever so slightly first. " _There!_ " she roared as she fired her arrow in that direction. The arrow came to a stop in midair, but it didn't sound like it had hit anything.

Shiro, who could now see where their adversary stood, raised her longsword, and brought it down in a brutal overhead swing, hoping to bifurcate whoever it was standing in front of them. She barely had time to register her blade stopping in midair, however, before the arrow Ruby had fired was jammed into her neck, causing her black blood to seep down the shaft of the arrow.

But that didn't stop the white-haired woman from kicking out in front of her. A dull thud sounded throughout the area, signaling that she had managed to hit something, but it didn't go flying like she had hoped it would. Whatever she had hit only skidded a few inches from where it had been standing.

Shiro's eyes widened as she felt something grabbing onto her leg, before lifting her up, and slamming her down on the ground. The arrow drove deeper into the white-haired woman's neck, more of her black ooze spilling from the wound.

Ruby, however, who had been paying attention, noticed a faint human-like outline standing over Shiro. So she nocked another arrow and fired it at the outline, aiming for where the head should be. The arrow connected, causing the outline to take a step forward, but it didn't go down. The arrow had hit its mark, but it wasn't a kill shot.

 _Oh shit,_ Ruby muttered, not daring to mutter those words aloud while Shiro was still conscious. The outline seemed to turn around, pulling the arrow out of its skull as it did. Maybe it was wearing a helmet, maybe it just didn't penetrate far enough into its skull to kill it. But whatever the case, the outline raced towards Ruby's position, the only thing giving it away was the way the light barely glimmered off of it, and the slight rustling of grass as it ran towards the brown-haired girl.

Ruby, panicking slightly, began rapidly firing arrows at the outline, hoping to kill it, or just deter it. Neither plan was successful, however, as the outline deflected the arrows with what Ruby believed to be partially invisible dual blades. Knowing her melee skills to be lacking, Ruby began backing up, continuing to fire as she did. She couldn't let the outline reach her.

But it looked to be for naught, as the outline continued to advance at a rapid pace, before eventually reaching the brown-haired girl. Ruby was unable to do anything but flinch away as the outline raised what she believed to be dual blades, and brought them down on the former hunter.

Ruby's eyes remained clenched shut for several moments, before she slowly opened them upon realizing she hadn't been impaled. And for good reason. Standing protectively in front of her was Zim, with two giant holes in his chest. But he seemed unfazed.

In fact, he seemed quite livid. The hybrid reached out and grabbed onto the arms of the outline, before wrenching the blades out of its hands. The moment the dual blades left the outline's hands, they became visible in Zim's chest. Ruby couldn't quite identify the pair of weapons, but they looked at least G-rank.

Zim rammed his knee into the outline's stomach, before punching it hard across the face, causing the outline to lose its balance and fall onto the ground. It seemed to be stunned for the moment, and in that moment, whatever sort of invisibility it was using vanished.

Before them was a girl… or maybe a woman, it was tough to tell. Her black hair was set in two braids off to the side of her head, jutting out of holes in the side of her helmet. Speaking of her helmet, she seemed to be wearing the female version of the Nargacuga armor, a set that Malakai quite enjoyed wearing.

Zim took a step towards the stunned girl, but she quickly recovered from her temporary concussion and pushed herself off the ground. She shook her head a few times, before striking a fighting stance. " **Who are you?"** the hybrid asked, glaring at the female, but he didn't strike a stance.

The girl didn't reply, as she leapt forward, twisting in the air to gather as much momentum as possible, before punching Zim as hard as she could. The hybrid didn't flinch from the right hook, his head not even snapping back. Zim returned fire nearly instantly, his own fist flying towards the girl's face, hoping to stun her again.

But the girl dodged out of the way with ease, turning and twisting her body to gather her momentum again. Zim leaned back slightly, letting her fist fly past his face. But he missed the smirk that spread across her face as blades extended from her arm. The blades… or spines, Zim couldn't tell the difference, sparked against his face as they failed to do any damage. But he was forced to lean further back to prevent them from hitting his eyes… even if they didn't damage them, he didn't want to feel the spines scratching against his sensitive eyes.

The girl took this opportunity to shove the hybrid over, as leaning so far back had thrown him off balance. Zim's back hit the ground, forcing a grunt from his mouth. The mysterious woman dropped down and grabbed ahold of one of her swords that were still stuck in the hybrid's chest. The hybrid let out a loud roar, rolling away from her before she could retrieve both of her swords.

He bounced up onto his feet, the hole in his chest already closing. Deciding that the other sword in his chest was preventing him from fighting at full strength, he pulled it out of his chest and tossed it behind him. He had no idea how the blades managed to penetrate his skin, but his high-speed regeneration wouldn't let him die just yet.

The two glared at each other, the holes on Zim's chest slowly closing. Whatever those blades were coated with, they were slowing down his regeneration, but not stopping it. The girl let out a soft growl, striking yet another stance… before vanishing.

The hybrid's eyes widened, and his nostrils flared, trying to pick up her scent, but to no avail. Her scent was too weak, or it was too muddied by everything around him that he couldn't smell her. He wasn't sure if she ran… or if she was preparing a sneak attack.

His answer came only a moment later, as he felt something rake across his back, slicing into his spine. He stumbled forward, but quickly whirled around to slam his fist into her stomach. His back stung something fierce, but it wasn't enough to completely immobilize him.

The force of the blow launched the invisible girl across the area, becoming visible again once she landed. Zim smirked as he watched her struggle to her feet. Clearly that hit took a lot out of her. She glared at him for a moment, before turning to run. " **Hey!"** Zim roared as he made to chase after her, but he only ended up stumbling to the ground. His spine hadn't finished repairing yet.

Ruby, who had been on the sidelines, choosing not to get in the hybrid's way, watched the girl run. Letting out an annoyed hiss, Ruby ran over to the sword the girl was leaving behind, and picked it up. " _Don't forget your sword!_ " she roared as loud as she could, throwing it at the fleeing female just as she turned invisible.

The blade flew true, slamming into the girl's leg. The female became visible again as she hit the ground once more, letting out a scream of pain. The sword had sunk deep into her thigh, cutting through her bone. The girl growled and groaned as she tugged the sword free, before putting it on her back with its partner.

" **Don't let her get away,"** Zim ordered as he stood up, his back fully healed. He stalked towards the girl, who began limping away desperately, turning invisible once more as she did. But the hybrid didn't stop in his pursuit, following the blood splatters left behind by the invisible woman.

He followed her towards the edge of the area, before suddenly pausing, his eyes widening. Ruby raced to catch up with him, a concerned expression on her face. "What's wrong?" she asked as the frenzy faded from her voice. She had calmed down slightly.

" **The blood is gone…"** he muttered, kneeling down to take a closer look at the grass.

"What? That wound was deep, there's no way it's done bleeding!" Ruby exclaimed.

Zim let go of the apex state, the black mist around his body fading as he returned to normal. "She must have regenerated, somehow," he sighed. "We're not going to be able to track her or catch her."

"Then what are we going to do?" Ruby asked, cocking her head slightly.

"Where's Shiro?" the hybrid responded, before turning around just in time to see the white-haired woman sit up and pull the arrow from her neck.

Shiro looked over at the two of them, the wound closing on her neck as she tossed the arrow away. "Sorry about that, she took me by surprise," she chuckled before pushing herself off the ground and making her way over to her son.

"Care to explain why we were fighting an _invisible_ woman with _regeneration_ abilities?" Zim growled, ignoring the white-haired woman's apology.

"Regeneration, really?" Shiro asked, a look of interest crossing her face. The hybrid only glared at her. "Hey, don't look at me… I have no idea who that was, or why she was invisible."

"Now why don't I believe you?" Ruby growled, drawing another arrow from her quiver. "Maybe I should put another arrow through your neck, then you'll think about talking."

"No need to resort to violence… besides, it wouldn't do you much good anyways," Shiro shrugged. "I honestly have no idea who or what she was, but I'm certainly curious."

"Well, then you have some research to do, then," Zim sighed, putting a hand on Ruby's arm, forcing her to lower her arrow. "Change of plans… Shiro and I are both going to Dundorma. We'll warn Malakai about the Hunter's Guild's presence here, and he'll send an army… Shiro will figure out what we're up against while he prepares is troops. Ruby, you and Blast will stay here and protect Bherna. Keep up consistent patrols, and if you spot that girl again, don't engage."

"Got it… what about you?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow. "What are you going to be doing?"

"That's none of your business."

XXX

The Rathian who had managed to escape the hunters beat her wings harder to send her higher into the air. She flew as fast as she could away from the scene of her attack. _Goddamn hunters…_ she grumbled internally as she climbed even higher into the sky, paranoid about being shot down by some type of human weapon.

She knew first hand how dangerous those hunters could be. After all, it had only been a few months since they had taken her mate from her and their hatchlings. She had thought she had been lucky when she managed to escape them then, though the loss of her faithful mate meant that she'd have to find a new one next breeding season. Although she had nightmares about the hunters coming for her, she had only thought they were just that… nightmares.

But the events of today had been all too real. She had gone out hunting for her hatchlings, the weather was nice, and the sun was shining… it was a perfect day for hunting. But when she had spotted the hunters approaching her with weapons drawn, she froze in fear. At first, she had thought it was another nightmare, but that illusion had been shattered the moment the first blade cut through her scales.

She had tried to run, but they wouldn't let her. Throwing their infernal flashing devices every time she had so much lifted off the ground. She was forced to stay and fight, though it wasn't much of a fight. Even as a powerful wyvern with a fiery breath and poisonous tail, the four hunters were faster, more agile, and seemed to know her moves before she made them.

It was a losing fight and she thought for sure she was going to die, leaving her hatchlings all alone. But somehow, she was saved… by more humans. It was an odd feeling. She wasn't sure why the two groups of humans were fighting, but she was grateful for whatever petty squabble they had with each other. Because it meant she was able to escape the hunters' grasp once again. A rare feat, even amongst the most powerful of monsters.

 _I'll have to be more careful in the future,_ she sighed to herself, before looking down at the ground. She realized that she had never managed to catch anything for her hatchlings, and she didn't want them complaining all night with their loud wails. So she figured she could catch something small for them before she went back.

She was so focused on the ground, trying to spot a Kelbi or maybe a Jaggi, that she missed something flying right at her. Unfortunately, she noticed it far too late, only looking up when the sound it was making became louder than the wind rushing past her face. She only had a second to realize that something big was about to crash into her, before she was actually hit.

She felt the scales on her back break and one of her wings tear, before she began losing altitude. She dropped out of the sky like a box of rocks, her other wing tearing open as she tried to slow her descent. She hit the ground at a frightening speed, shattering nearly every bone in her body.

She let out a low groan as she rolled over onto her back, blood dribbling from the side of her mouth. She was alive… somehow. She felt her high-speed regeneration starting to kick in, repairing what it could. She would be immobilized for some time, though her wings could take weeks to fully heal.

A loud _thump_ caused her to crane her neck as best she could to see what had made the sound. It was a dragon… of some sort. It was large, but only slightly larger than her, and a silver color. Bursting from the tips of its wings was a red energy she almost didn't recognize, but once she did, she felt her heart drop and dread pool in her stomach.

 _Dragon energy…_ she realized. Although she had never seen a monster such as this, she immediately recognized how dangerous it was. The Rathian didn't actually classify monsters like humans did, but she knew that dragon energy typically only emanated from an older, more ancient breed of monster. What humans called Elder Dragons.

" _Terribly sorry about that… I didn't see you there,"_ the elder dragon admitted as he carefully stepped towards the Rathian. His voice was deep, and unmistakably male.

" _You… you didn't see me?!"_ the Rathian snarled, fire crackling in her mouth as she prepared a fireball. She doubted it would so much as scratch the elder before her, but maybe it would scare him off.

" _Well… I was going too fast to stop by the time I did,"_ he chuckled, not at all scared by the fire in the Rathian's maw. " _My name is Val… what's yours?"_

The Rathian grinded her teeth together, unsure if she should actually reply. He _did_ almost kill her, after all. " _My name is Rachel…"_ the Rathian grumbled reluctantly.

" _A human name? How quaint,"_ Val chuckled, stepping a bit closer to the Rathian. " _Speaking of humans… have you seen any recently?"_

" _Humans?! Yeah, I've seen a few. Four bastards who tried to hunt me,"_ Rachel snarled, spitting the word 'humans' hard enough that tongues of flames leapt from her mouth.

" _Really,"_ Val asked, though it sounded more sarcastic than an actual question. " _Did you happen to spot any humans that… didn't quite seem so? Perhaps one with black mist swirling around its body?"_

Rachel cocked her head at that question. _Why is he so interested?_ she wondered internally. " _Uh… I'm not sure…"_ she trailed off.

" _Think harder,"_ he requested, narrowing his blue eyes at her.

" _Well… I was saved from the four hunters by three humans and a Palico… they leapt from the bushes and ambushed the hunters. One of them… might have had black mist around him, but I didn't get a good look,"_ she admitted.

" _Hmm…"_ he hummed. " _Well, I think you did probably see the human I'm looking for. Do you know how long ago this was?"_

" _Uh… a little while ago, I don't know,"_ she shrugged.

" _Damn it, woman, you have a human name, so I assume you can tell time like they can. How long ago?"_

" _Twenty… minutes… I think."_

" _Wonderful, I missed him,"_ he growled, before turning around and taking a few steps away.

" _Wait, are you just going to leave me here?!"_ Rachel protested, struggling slightly so she could continue to look at him.

" _You'll recover,"_ Val grunted as he pressed his wings against his body, the dragon energy becoming more volatile. An odd sound echoed through the area, but Rachel couldn't quite place it.

" _Hey! You crashed into me on accident, the least… the least you could do is help me back to my hatchlings!"_ the Rathian cried out before the elder dragon could take off. " _You said you missed him anyways…"_

Val paused, before letting out an annoyed sigh. He turned back around and stalked over to her, his wings still pressed against his back, the dragon energy building up and continuing to make that loud sound she didn't recognize. " _Fine, I'll take you back to your hatchlings,"_ he grunted, before flipping her over onto her stomach. " _But then we're even."_

XXX

 **Ah, lots of fun things about this chapter. Specifically two characters. The girl, and Val. Firstly, the girl… why can she turn invisible and regenerate? Why was she attacking Zim? She seemed to be wearing hunter's armor… does that make her a hunter? If so, who is she?**

 **Secondly, Val. I'm sure you all recognize him from the dream sequence in chapter one. Though I doubt any of you were expecting him to show up again so soon. And I'm sure you all recognize his species by now. Though I do wonder what he wants with Zim…**

 **Two very important questions are posed in this chapter, and I'm curious if any of you can answer them before the next chapter is posted. The story is getting more and more interesting by the minute! Stay tuned until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Das Nächste Ziel:

Author's Note:

 **Well, I'm pretty proud of the mysterious girl that appeared last chapter… one of you figured it out almost immediately. A few more took a few days, but they still figured it out. We won't be seeing her again until later, but don't forget about her, and what she is (if you figured it out or read the reviews…). It'll be important later.**

 **Last chapter was lots of fun and I had a lot of motivation to get this chapter done as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, it's a bit on the short side, again, but I doubt anyone's complaining as long as the story continues to progress. So please, enjoy!**

XXX

 _Das nächste Ziel: The next target_

"… And that's what happened," Zim finished as he watched Malakai lean back in his chair, a thoughtful expression plastered across his… eyes. It had been three days since the incident in the Jurassic Frontier, it had taken that long to travel back to Dundorma where they could tell their story to the guildmaster of the Harmony Guild.

Malakai was an interesting specimen. He was dressed in an all-black set of armor that was clearly of Nargacuga origins. The armor partially obstructed his face, making it only so that his light red eyes were visible to Shiro and Zim. A pair of dual blades were attached to his back, but he didn't seem bothered by them as he got comfortable on his chair.

The chair was enormous, and for good reason. It was the Great Elder's former chair, and it needed to be massive to hold the Wyverian that went by the title 'His Immenseness.' It was large enough that Malakai could pull both of his legs up onto the chair and cross them in a semi-meditative stance with his hands folded in his lap.

"An invisible girl, you say?" he asked after a moment of thought.

"Yes. She was wearing Nargacuga armor, much like yours, and she was wielding dual blades," Zim recounted once more. "I'm positive she was a hunter."

"Hmm… that makes a total of five hunters out in the Jurassic Frontier," Malakai muttered, clearly unhappy about that fact. "Ignoring that fact that the girl was invisible, it means that the Hunter's Guild is willing to break from tradition in order to fight this war… which is most concerning. Up until this point, we've only been encountering groups of hunters out in the wild numbering at most four…"

"Larger groups just means it's easier to kill them all," Zim shrugged, not quite as concerned as Malakai.

"For you, perhaps, and don't forget that, according to _you_ , she got the drop on you. Even through your apex state," Malakai replied with a frown. "Without your highspeed regeneration, you would've been dead. If the Guild is resorting to ambush tactics, it's going to be harder for us to win."

"Then the troops we'll send out will have to be more careful in surveying the area," Zim said.

"You said she was _invisible_ , which I'll address in a moment, but even assuming she's the _only_ invisible soldier in the Hunter's Guild, she was likely targeting you specifically. She was probably following you without your knowing, and she was using those hunters as bait to try and see if she could kill you," Malakai grumbled. "It was probably just a test of her abilities. Even if she can't kill our strongest soldier, you were unable to detect her… she could likely very easily infiltrate Dundorma and assassinate whoever she wanted."

"Which is why we should counterattack before she gets the option," Zim growled. "It's why we rushed back here in the first place. We have undeniable proof there are hunters in the Jurassic Frontier. We needs boots on the ground to start-"

"Scouring an area that's likely larger than we can comprehend. We haven't mapped out the Jurassic Frontier, Zim, we don't know how big it is, _or even if_ we can trap the Guild in there," Malakai explained. "Besides, we can't spare very many troops at the moment."

"Why not?" Zim asked, blinking a few times.

"Our numbers are dwindling. The Knights of the Wolf have been almost completely decimated, only about twenty percent of our numbers remain, and we've gotten no new recruits since we attacked Dundorma. And even then, the training process is not easy, nor is it short," Malakai sighed. "And as for volunteers, we've managed to only gather a willing force about half the size of the original army that attacked Dundorma. Of that force, thirty percent died in our last battle in Cathar, and of those remaining, only twenty percent are actually hunters that defected from the Hunter's Guild."

"Then we hold a draft," Zim suggested. "Put them through basic training and then send them out into the frontier to pinpoint the location of the Guild. Then I can annihilate the remaining hunters."

"I enjoy your optimism, Zim, I really do… it's just not practical," Malakai sighed. "Issuing a draft would be difficult and training unwilling recruits even more so. By the time we've gathered everyone eligible, trained them, and shipped them off to Bherna, the Guild could have moved. And like I said, we can't guarantee we can trap them in the frontier indefinitely."

"Damn it," Zim sighed after a few moments of consideration. He brought his hands up to rub his temples out of frustration. There really was no easy solution. "Then are we supposed to sit on our asses and wait for the Guild to counterattack?"

"No, of course not," Malakai shook his head. "We'll keep doing what we've been doing, taking cities, and denying the Guild places to stay and hunt. Eventually we'll box them into a corner. And if that corner is the Jurassic Frontier, so be it. But that invisible girl poses a problem… she's the perfect spy and the perfect assassin."

"She's a hybrid, I can tell you that much," Shiro spoke up, causing both Zim and Malakai to look over at her. They had forgotten that the white-haired woman was in the room with them. "I can't quite tell you with what yet, but I'm working on it. But she's definitely a hunter… and if I had gotten a good look at her when she was visible, I might even be able to identify who she is. As for how the guild managed to get their hands on a hybrid, I have no clue… I never gave anyone my research, nor was I aware that anyone else was researching possible hybrids with humans."

"Yes, well, I'll leave you to that, then," Malakai nodded. It was Shiro's field of expertise, after all. "The more we know about her, the easier it will be to counter her abilities. She's a powerful asset, that's for sure, and since she's a hybrid, there's a possibility that Zim could convince her to swap sides."

"I doubt she'll be coming out of the woodwork again anytime soon," Zim shrugged. "I saw her face and she's probably realized we know what she is. She'll probably stay in the shadows for at least a little while."

"More time for us to research her," Shiro chuckled, cracking her knuckles excitedly. Even the mere mention of research seemed to make her happier.

"Yes, yes… in the meanwhile, I'm curious to know what our next target is. If we can't spare troops to comb the Jurassic Frontier, then you must have something planned," Zim smirked.

"And you would be correct, I do have something planned… and it's big," Malakai grinned, a slight twinkle in his eye being the only indication of him doing so. "But there's a slight… complication. Follow me."

He hopped off his huge chair and made his way towards the back of the Great Hall, where a table was waiting for them. On top of the table was an enormous map. Cities and hunting grounds were marked on the map, as well as oceans, lakes, and other geographical locations.

The three former hunters stood around the table, looking down at the map. "Our next target is Loc Lac," Malakai explained, pointing at the city marked on the map. "If the Guild really is in the Jurassic Frontier, then they'll be helpless to halt our advance."

"Are you sure we have the troops to handle a target as big as Loc Lac?" Zim asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm well aware that Loc Lac is a fortified city with defenses roughly equal to that of Dundorma's, and it was built with repelling Jhen Mohran in mind, however, all of its defenses are pointed in the direction of the Great Desert," Malakai chuckled. "It's almost completely vulnerable from the other side."

"That poses a completely different problem, then," Shiro sighed, shaking her head. "How are we going to get to the other side?"

"Can't we use the airship thing Dr. Steele designed that flew the Knights of the Wolf to Dundorma for the attack?" Zim asked, glancing between Malakai and Shiro.

"The airship is out of fuel, and she doesn't have enough left over to get us from Bherna to _Dundorma_ , let alone Loc Lac!" Shiro exclaimed. "The only option is to go by sea."

"Which I'll admit is a pretty big problem," Malakai muttered. "If we were going by desert on sand sailors then we could theoretically make it to Loc Lac in just under a week, even with bad winds. But by sea, it could take us two weeks _at best_ , a month at worst."

"And there are other problems too. We'd need ships and sailors, as I doubt any of our soldiers know how to sail. This would consume money and even more supplies, and judging on how many soldiers we'd have, we may have to take multiple ships," Shiro said. "Which leads to even _more_ problems…"

"Yes, the logistics are definitely frightening to look at, and the answers are certainly not going to be easy to come by… but we don't have much of a choice. Loc Lac is the biggest target the guild has left, and if we wait, we'd only end up losing more troops," Malakai said. "We need to figure this out now and attack as soon as possible."

"The preparation is more daunting than the actual battle…" Zim chuckled. "I'm guessing going by land, avoiding the desert is impossible?"

"Very," Malakai nodded. "It could take our army a year to make it there on foot, and in that time, we'd likely have to resort to hunting monsters again."

"Right… well, what about Moga?" Zim asked, pointing to a small island on the map. Both Shiro and Malakai blinked as they looked down at the map, before Shiro slapped a palm against her forehead.

"Moga! I forgot about Moga," she said. "That solves a few problems, actually."

"How so?" Malakai asked, cocking his head. "From what little I know of Moga, it's a small fishing village on an otherwise deserted island. I haven't had any contact with the place… I doubt they even know about what happened. But I do know that they were under the Hunter's Guild's jurisdiction."

"Yes, well, Zim and I both happen to be from there… and although yes, it is small, it's also about halfway between here and Loc Lac," Shiro smirked. "We could cram our soldiers on one boat as well as a week's worth of supplies, and sail to Moga. It's hardly out of our way, and even with bad weather we should make it there before we run out of anything. Then we can wait out any storms, stock up, and head out again."

"An interesting idea… but are you sure the people of Moga would want an army appearing at their doorstep? I don't want to ransack their village for supplies… especially if they could be a useful ally," Malakai sighed.

"Well… I suppose you could always sail over there and ask," Shiro muttered. "Then I guess you could probably convince them to lend you some ships and some sailors as well. It'll be a two-week trip at best, but by the time you get back, our army should be bolstered and fully trained."

"I don't want to make a two-week trip if there's a chance of failure. Zim, you're coming with me," Malakai ordered. "If you're really from there, then you should be able to convince them to help us."

"Oh no, absolutely not," Zim shook his head. "I don't think you quite understand my relationship with my 'hometown.' I'm not setting foot there again."

Malakai's eyes widened slightly. "Uh… okay? That's going to be a problem, though," he growled. "What are you going to do when we stop there during our trip to Loc Lac?"

"Simple, I won't be accompanying you. At least not on the boat," Zim said, crossing his arms. He was adamant about not going back to his hometown. "If you _really_ think you need me, then I'll go by balloon. With just me flying, it'll take half the time, and I can be there at the landing site waiting for you."

"You'll have to wait a week, though… at best!" Malakai exclaimed. "Don't make me order you…"

" **Don't make me repeat myself,"** Zim growled, the frenzy welling up around him, distorting his voice as it did. He bared his fangs at his guildmaster for a moment, before calming down nearly immediately afterwards. Malakai had not even flinched. "You don't understand. I left that hellhole the moment I could, and I promised I would never go back. And I assure you, I plan on upholding that promise."

"You know, you could always take me with you to Moga, I was born there after all," Shiro spoke up, hoping to mediate their conflict. Not necessarily to prevent fighting or injury, just that she wasn't sure the Great Hall could withstand the clash between the Hunter's Guild's former top hunter and a Rajang-human hybrid. Though it was certainly a battle she wanted to see…

"I'm sure anyone you knew there died four hundred years ago," Malakai rolled his eyes. "I don't think you'll be much help."

"My friends and family, yes, but I've kept in contact with my home via the village chief. Although it's been over a decade since he's last seen me, I doubt he's forgotten me," Shiro shrugged. "I'll be more than enough help."

"Very well…" Malakai sighed, clearly unhappy about the arrangement. "Then Shiro will accompany me on this… diplomatic mission. Zim, you'll stay here and finish the troops' training. Make sure they'll be ready for when we come back. You can send a squad over to Bherna to help Ruby and Blast keep watch, but make sure they know not to push into the frontier."

"I'm going to have to decline that order as well," Zim sighed. From an outside perspective, it definitely looked odd for a mere soldier to refuse his commander's orders, but Zim was no ordinary soldier. "I have business to attend to at the Arctic Ridge… very important training."

"Training? Do you really need more training?" Malakai asked skeptically, to which Shiro let out a sigh. She had a feeling she knew _exactly_ why Zim was going there.

"If the invisible girl really is a hybrid, then she was strong. She may not have been able to kill me this time, but she's gathered data… I only managed to beat her because I had backup," Zim explained. "Next time she'll know what to do, and I'll likely be alone. Not to mention there could be other hybrids. All of them more in tune with their monster side than I am."

"Fine… fine… fine," Malakai conceded, rubbing his temples. "If you think you need more training, by all means, have at it. But when you get back, you'd better be able to _guarantee_ that nothing will be able to stand in our path. _And_ you'd better be here before we get back to still have time to gather the troops."

"Very well. It's only a four-day round-trip, which leaves me about a week and a half of training time," Zim nodded. Though he wasn't sure if it was actually enough. "I'll also sketch out a picture of the invisible girl that I saw, and hand it off to one of the Knights so they can run through the Guild archives, trying to track her down."

"Ah, that's a good idea," Shiro nodded. "I'll bring a few things with me on the trip, so I can do some research on the go."

"Then it's decided… I'll go find someone to finish instructing the troops and to dispatch a squad towards Bherna to help Ruby," Malakai sighed. This meeting hadn't exactly gone as planned, and he hadn't gotten everything he wanted… but at least they had made progress.

XXX

Rachel looked up as the sound of an ear-splitting _boom_ filled the air, heralding the arrival of Val. She couldn't help the smile on her face as the elder dragon landed on a ledge just outside the mouth of her cave, before skidding into the cave itself, sparks flying from his claws. She remembered how he told her that he was flying so fast that he broke the sound barrier.

Of course, she had no idea what that meant, but she knew he was moving incredibly quickly. He enjoyed talking about his species almost as much as she loved to talk about her hatchlings. But… she did notice how he hardly ever actually talked about himself. Other than his name, she knew nothing about him.

It had been three days since he had carried her back to her nest in a place he had referred to as the Verdant Hills. She only ever called it home. Since her wings were still busted she had managed to convince him to stay and help her feed her hatchlings. They would die without her… and since it was just her raising them, she needed help.

To her surprise, it didn't take all that much convincing once he actually saw the hatchlings. " _I brought food,"_ Val said as he stepped deeper into the cave. He was carrying a struggling Kelbi in his jaws, as it was still quite alive. It was an odd quirk that Rachel had noticed about him. He never killed anything until it was safely back at her nest.

" _About time,"_ Rachel replied playfully as she struggled to her feet. Every bone in her body still ached from falling so far out of the sky. Despite her highspeed regeneration, it didn't seem to dull the pain. With that and her wings still in tatters, she was essentially a stay-at-home mom.

" _Yeah, well…"_ Val muttered, his voice muffled by the bleating Kelbi in his jaws. He trailed off for a moment, before a loud _crunch_ echoed through the cave, silencing the deer-like creature. " _She ran from me."_

" _She?"_ Rachel asked, a smirk still playing on her muzzle as the elder dragon brought the Kelbi over towards the nest, dropping it on the ground close to the rim. " _And I thought you were fast!"_

" _Fast in a straight line… catching a zig-zagging Kelbi isn't an easy task,"_ he grunted in return now that his mouth was free. " _And can't you tell the gender by her lack of horns?"_

" _I've never really cared to notice,"_ Rachel shrugged as best she could as she limped over to the Kelbi and took a big bite out of it. But she didn't swallow. Instead she held the hunk of meat over the nest, hovering just at the right height that her chittering hatchlings could reach without straining their necks.

There were three of them, her three beautiful hatchlings. It wasn't her first clutch of eggs, but it was her smallest. She had laid three times as many last year… but this year she had gotten unlucky. Or maybe she was incredibly lucky instead, she couldn't quite tell.

Of the three hatchlings, two of them were remarkably average. One had a light green shell, marking her as female, while another had a dark red shell, marking him as male. The female's shell would darken with age, while the male's would lighten. However, the third hatchling in the nest was a light gold color.

She had heard legends of Rathians that were born a brilliant gold color and would grow up to become extremely powerful monsters. Even strong enough to rival some elder dragons. Gold Rathians were incredibly rare, and the fact that Rachel had managed to give birth to one in a clutch of three seemed nearly impossible.

Val laid down onto his side, the dragon energy coursing through his wings dying down a bit to not produce quite as much noise. He was not bound to the cave like Rachel and her hatchlings were, he could leave whenever he wanted. As long as he brought them food once or twice a day, they would be fine.

And yet he chose to stay. He had a home far away from here, but it would be easy to fly back and forth with his pure speed. But he knew if he left it would gnaw on him constantly. _Are Rachel and the hatchlings alright? What if something bigger came and hurt them? Rachel can barely defend herself!_

 _It's my fault she's even hurt in the first place._

Responsibility. He certainly felt responsible for Rachel's current predicament, though he didn't physically show it. He had knocked her out of the sky on complete accident, and now he would stay with her until she could leave the cave again. It set his plans back quite a ways, but it didn't ruin them entirely. He'd just have to delay them until Rachel was better.

He was so lost in thought by the time Rachel's hatchlings had finished eating that he barely noticed Rachel limping towards him. The rest of the Kelbi was hanging from her jaws as a sort of offering. " _You should eat,"_ she suggested, her voice slightly muffled. " _I haven't seen you eat the entire time you've been with us."_

" _I've already eaten, I caught something while I was catching your food… that's why it took me so long,"_ Val muttered, only partially paying attention to her. He was still lost in thought. But not so much that he couldn't lie to her.

Rachel stared at him for a moment, before letting out a sigh, snapping up the rest of the Kelbi and swallowing. He was distant like always. " _Suit yourself,"_ she said as she laid down next to him, but kept her distance. On the first night, she had tried to press herself against him while he napped, as he was ridiculously warm, but he woke up immediately and moved away.

He shifted slightly, putting a little more distance between himself and her. But he didn't run to the other side of the cave like he had the first night he spent with her. " _So…"_ Rachel started, but trailed off as she glanced behind her. Her hatchlings were settling down for a nap. It was nearly midday after all. " _Thank you for the meal."_

" _You're welcome,"_ he said plainly. No matter how many times he said thanks were unnecessary, she always ignored him. So he had stopped requesting that she stopped thanking him.

" _And for the company,"_ she added a moment later, as if trying out something new. He slowly turned to face her, his blue eyes locking with hers. But he didn't say a word… he just stared at her. As if he wasn't sure how to respond.

" _Because, uh… I know that you know you don't have to stay here…"_ she continued, deciding to keep talking. It seemed whenever things got awkward, one of them just started talking. At first it was him who filled the void with his voice, but ever since their first night, she had been the one to speak. " _I'm sure you have a home or something."_

" _Or something,"_ he finally replied, rolling his eyes. He shifted away from her again, looking down at the ground as to be sure not to make visible eye contact with her again. He didn't like talking about himself.

" _Well… why not tell me about it? I'm starting to worry that you're homesick…"_ Rachel admitted, wondering if she could guilt him into revealing something. She already felt like she had guilted him into staying and hunting for her, so it wasn't like it was anything new. " _Is that why you're not eating?"_

" _I_ _ **have**_ _been eating,"_ he growled, though he didn't look up to glare at her. He kept his gaze fixed firmly on the ground, though his eyes did narrow.

" _Val…"_ she trailed off, hoping to key him in on the fact that she knew he was lying. It was strange to say that she was worried about a man she hardly knew, but she was worried about him. And it wasn't like he had come out and told her that his species could go days without food… he insisted on lying to her.

" _I don't need your worrying. I don't need_ _ **anyone's**_ _worrying!"_ he snapped at her, unable to stop himself. The dragon energy contained within his wings flared to life, a low hum filling the air. Miraculously, the hatchlings didn't wake up. He seemed to realize his error a moment later, calming down as he did. " _Not anymore, at least."_

" _What does that mean?"_ Rachel asked, cocking her head. She had shuffled backwards a bit with his outburst, but she scooted forward again after his rage had passed.

" _It means that I'm fine. I'm not homesick, I'm not sad, and I'm definitely eating fine,"_ Val said, each word seemingly carrying a punch behind it. He got up and made his way towards the lip of the cave. " _I'm going to go get more food… you're looking starved and I doubt leftover Kelbi is enough for you."_

Rachel was unable to even open her mouth before he rocketed out of the cave, racing away at a speed she knew only he could achieve. She stared at the place where he had just been for several minutes, pondering over what she had said wrong. " _Well that didn't go very well, did it?"_ she muttered, glancing over at her hatchlings, who were still slumbering. " _I just wanted to know more about him…"_

XXX

 **Ah, that wraps things up. Again, a bit of a shorter chapter when compared to the last, but it was the best I could do with how much time I had. I was seriously debating cutting out this scene with Val and Rachel, not because it's not important, but because I'm not positive it belongs here.**

 **To be clear, Val and Rachel sections are going to be a regular occurrence in the upcoming chapters. We're going to learn more about them as we go, of course, but I was worried that this scene was too early in the story. But I thought the chapter was too short without it, so I kept it in instead of cutting it.**

 **In any case, the first section of this chapter is incredibly important. While there's not much to discover, it is setting up the three story lines that are going to take place over the course of the next chapters. Well, four when you add in Val and Rachel's story line. What those story lines contain, well… you're just going to have to wait and find out!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Schwanger:

Author's Note:

 **I know, Sunday is a very weird time to post, since I usually do it on Saturday… but I've had a lot of free time this week. Enough to finish a chapter of both the stories I've been working on. But since I had an exam on Friday, I wasn't able to spend as much time working on this on Thursday as I had wanted to. So you're getting it a day late, but it's still better than waiting another week, eh?**

 **Anyways, this chapter we'll be focusing more on Ruby than anyone else. Basically, three days has passed since the last chapter. The squad Malakai sent to back up Ruby at the Jurassic Frontier has arrived, but Zim, Malakai, and Shiro are both still traveling to their destinations. So please, enjoy!**

XXX

 _Thunk!_ "Bullseye." _Thunk!_ "Another bullseye." _Thunk!_ "Yet another bullseye." It was almost boring for Ruby as she pulled back on her bow again, aiming for the next target. It was just a simple training exercise she had set up to pass the time. _Next time I'll make it harder,_ she grumbled internally as she scored another bullseye.

She wasn't sure what compelled her to set up a training regimen to pass the time, however. To her, shooting her bow had become second nature, and with her unnatural ability to never miss she never really had to worry about training. But whatever the reason, she had swiftly gathered an audience.

Chief among the audience, however, was the squad Malakai had sent to back her up. There were four of them, three males carrying various weapons, and a female with a bowgun. They were gathered around the smithy with their arms crossed, all of them watching her with narrowed eyes. Though she could swear the female was muttering about being able to do the same with her bowgun.

Ruby knew she wasn't exactly their favorite person in the world. Ever since Malakai made her his lieutenant for the battle of Dundorma, most members of the Knights of the Wolf didn't like her. She had only met their goddess and had been given their mark only a few months ago, and she outranked all but two of them.

Though she was used to jealousy and envy like that. When she was apart of the Hunter's Guild, she was one of the top ten hunters in the world, and outranked many older, more experienced hunters. _Thunk!_ "And one more," Ruby sighed, before placing her bow on her back. The response from her audience wasn't exactly cheering.

They stared at her, silently watching her as she went to collect her arrows. She had set the targets all over the small town in lots of hard to reach places, but even then, it wasn't much of a challenge for her to hit them. No, the real challenge was retrieving the targets.

She made her way around the small town, grabbing her arrows and targets, until she only had three left. All of them were fairly close to each other, but they were in the hardest to reach place of them all. On top of the smithy. It had been easy to get up there to place the targets earlier in the morning, as the forge hadn't been on, but now that it was, the smithy was sweltering.

Ruby was wearing a warm armor set made out of some type of fur. It didn't provide a lot of defense, but it was warm in Bherna's frigid climate. But now that she was exposed to the blistering heat of the forge, she could feel the sweat dripping down her forehead, getting in her eyes. She grabbed ahold of the first target before tossing it off the roof. She'd worry about it after getting all three.

She grabbed the second target without much hassle, but the third and final target was hanging against an exhaust pipe. The closer she got to it, the hotter it became. The metal of the pipe was blistering from the forge below, causing her to hesitate as she reached for it. But she steadied her feet and, feeling dozens of eyes still on her, snatched the target off the pipe.

It took a few seconds for her nerves to realize what she was holding was scorching hot, but once they did, she let out a shriek of pain. She dropped the target, and luckily it bounced off the roof and rolled onto the ground. But she was in for a similar fate, as she involuntarily took a step backwards, flinching from the pain. She lost her footing and ended up slipping off the roof.

She resisted the urge to scream as she fell, as the roof wasn't all that far off the ground, but the impact was surely going to hurt. And she'd likely have some vertigo once she righted herself. She never felt the pain of hitting the ground, however. All she heard was a loud grunt as a pair of arms caught her.

"Well would you look at that, boys? Angels are just falling out of the sky these days!" Ruby looked up at the tallest of the soldiers Malakai sent her. He was smirking down at her, not letting go of her despite her glare.

The female of the squad let out a growl, before ramming her fist into the tallest male's kidney. The man let out a yelp, dropping Ruby unceremoniously to the ground, like a sack of rocks. "I thought we talked about this," the female squad member hissed.

"Hey, I was just teasing! There's no need to be hurtful," the man replied, rubbing his side with a grimace.

Ruby let out a growl as she pushed herself off the ground. Not one of them offered a helping hand. She stood up and dusted herself off, frown etched onto her face. "You're pretty good with that bow," one of the two remaining males said, taking a step closer to her. He was carrying a sword and shield and was wearing what Ruby assumed was low rank armor.

"Obviously," Ruby grumbled as she went to collect the targets she had tossed off the smithy roof. She didn't really have anything to say to them.

"No need to be rude," the sword and shield carrying male said, a small smirk on his face. "I was just curious how you got to be so good."

"What else? Practice and training," Ruby huffed as she removed the arrows from the targets and slipped them back into her quiver. _That and a serum that makes it impossible for me to miss,_ she chuckled internally.

"I don't know what I expected," the other male said, stepping forward next to his comrade. He was carrying an insect glaive. Along with the sword and shield user and the bowgunner, the tallest male carried a longsword to round out the group.

"Though I guess I admit I'm curious if you're as good with a sword as you are with a bow," the sword and shield carrying soldier said, unsheathing his blade.

"Is that a challenge?" Ruby growled, narrowing her pink eyes at him. In truth, she was pretty bad with a sword… it just didn't click the way bows did. She had tried for years to learn how to use a blade, but she had never been able to even garner a basic grasp of the technique.

"Yeah… yeah, I think it is!" the sword and shield carrying male grinned, twirling his blade around. "And you know what? I'm confident enough that I'm going to win, that I'll make a little bet…"

 _Damn it… he called my bluff,_ Ruby grumbled internally. "I don't think betting is necessary…" she muttered, not wanting to outright refuse the challenge. That would only make her look weak.

"Ha! There's no need to fear, if you're as good with a sword as you are with a bow, you'll do fine," the male with the longsword said.

"But I doubt you'll win! Because I'm willing to bet my life saving's on this match," the soldier carrying the sword and shield said. "And all you have to do if you lose is resign. Go back to Dundorma and tell Malakai that you no longer want to be his lieutenant."

"You know I can't do that," Ruby snarled, already feeling the frenzy welling up inside of her once again.

"So what are you, chicken?" the man carrying the insect glaive asked. He made a noise imitating a chicken, while putting his hands under his armpits to make it look like he had a pair of 'wings.'

"I don't have a sword!" Ruby protested, crossing her arms, now just searching for any way out. She already didn't have any respect from her subordinates… to have them think of her as a coward would be even worse. "I only have bows!"

"Well then you can borrow my sword," the man with the longsword said, pulling his blade off his back. He offered the sword to her, but she didn't immediately take it. And he knew exactly why. "Though you'll have to change out of that gunner's armor in order to use it."

 _Damn it all,_ Ruby grumbled. There was a vast difference in gunner armor and blademaster armor, and not just the skills and protection they offered. Blademaster armor was just too clunky to use a bow or bowgun with, while gunner armor was just too restrictive to use a blade. She would have to strip out of her gunner armor… and she didn't exactly have any blademaster armor hanging around her temporary home either.

Reluctantly, Ruby began shedding her armor. Even though it was still nice and warm by the smithy's forge, she knew that they'd have to step out into the freezing town center to actually fight. And she'd be in her underwear.

She stripped down until all that was left was a pair of red short shorts and a matching red bra. It was more like a strip of fabric wrapped around her chest, but at least it offered some protection against the leers she was getting from her soldiers and the townsfolk. She snatched the longsword from its owner and strode away from the smithy.

The female with the bowgun slammed her fist into the longsword user's kidney again, sending him down onto the ground crying in pain. Clearly, she didn't like him gawking at other girls. The insect glaive user followed behind the sword and shield user towards the center of the town, where there'd be more space.

 _This isn't good…_ Ruby growled internally as she struck a rudimentary stance. One that she remembered Shiro teaching her all those years ago. _I'll have to get lucky,_ she sighed. "What's your name again?"

"Shamus," the sword and shield user said, twirling his blade again, before striking a stance. They both held their positions for a few seconds, before Shamus leapt forward with a lunging slash.

Ruby blocked the attack with the longsword, tightening her grip hard enough to make her knuckles white. She pushed against his sword, trying to use her weapon's weight to its advantage. And she was making progress, if only slightly. She didn't quite have the leverage to crush his defense.

But she kept pushing down on his sword, hoping that her frenzy-enhanced strength would come through for her. But in the end, it only led to her downfall, as Shamus shifted his blade and jumped to the side, causing her longsword to strike the ground harmlessly. She turned as quickly as she could, her blade arcing and gathering momentum, preparing to bisect him.

He stopped her with a quick jab against her ribs with his shield, causing her to falter. He swung his blade at her while she was still recovering, forcing her to hold up her arm in defense. He didn't slow down, even though she wasn't wearing protective armor like he was. His weapon bit into her left forearm, slicing the Wolfsangel frenzy-tattoo she had gotten from Nova in half.

She screamed in pain, rolling away from him as she did. She held her bloodied arm with her good one, having dropped the longsword when she disengaged. His weapon had struck bone, and her arm was badly hurt… though it was nothing a potion or two wouldn't sooth.

"I win," Shamus grinned, twirling his sword again. He smirked down at Ruby, who was doing her best to hold back the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "You know what that means! You'll have to resign. Don't cry about it, though… I'm sure Malakai or Zim will still keep you as their personal whore."

 _Progress to Ruby's explosion: 100%_

A deep, guttural growl escaped Ruby's lips as her pink eyes turned blood red, narrowing them as she did. A hissing sound filled the air as her flesh and muscle began to sew itself back together. Ruby lifted herself off the ground with a loud roar of, " **I am** _ **no one's**_ **whore!"** before rushing back into battle.

She snatched the longsword off the ground and raised it over her head. Shamus let out a loud curse as he raised his sword and shield together for extra defense. Ruby brought the longsword down so viciously hard, the blade snapped in half. The force of the blow still caused Shamus to drop to his knees, but the upper half of the blade that broke free went spiraling away from both combatants, injuring neither of them.

She shoved him backwards with all her might, before dropping the sword and cocking her fist back. He managed to regain his balance and hold up his shield in time to block her punch. _Crunch!_ The sound of bones breaking echoed throughout the town as Ruby not only shattered Shamus' shield, but broke both her hand and his arm.

Shamus was thrown across the small town, crashing into one of the few shops. The man who had lent Ruby his longsword rushed to help his friend, but the insect glaive user yelled out, "Hey! That was uncalled for!" He took his weapon off his back and launched his Kinsect at Ruby.

The female with the bowgun let out a curse, she was the only one who seemed to know what was actually happening. She took her gun off her back and loaded sleep ammo into the chamber just as Ruby caught the insect glaive user's Kinsect and crushed it in her hand.

The insect glaive user let out a roar of rage and launched himself at Ruby. The almost nude woman sidestepped his attack, before ramming her fist into his stomach. He tried to block with his glaive, but it shattered against the force of her blow. He let out a ragged cough as her fist connected with his stomach, causing him to drop to his knees, puking up his breakfast.

The female bowgunner took aim and fired off a volley of sleep shots towards Ruby, who was slowly advancing towards the longsword user, who was trying to help Shamus up. Ruby let out a low growl as she felt the bullets pierce her skin. She turned on the female bowgunner, fangs bared as she tried to close the distance.

The female bowgunner rolled out of the way, reloading another few rounds into her gun as she did. When Ruby rounded on her again, she began firing, this time aiming for the frenzied female's chest. The bullets struck true, and this time there were some results.

Ruby wobbled slightly, before falling onto the ground. She panted, exhaustion creeping up on her. She tried to fight it, but it was too late. The bowgunner fired one last sleep shot into Ruby's head and everything went dark.

XXX

Ruby's eyes snapped open. She glanced around, seeing only a bright white room. She tried to sit up, but she found she was chained to something. Glancing down, she found that she was tied down to some sort of operating room. "Let me up!" she roared, struggling against the chains that held her down.

"Calm down dear, you're safe," the soothing voice of Dr. Steele sounded from one side of the room. Ruby strained her neck, trying to find the good doctor, but she was standing behind Ruby's head, outside of her field of view.

"Safe?" Ruby asked, halting her struggles. Though she did continue to try and twist her body to see Dr. Steele. "Then what are the chains for?"

"Ah, those are for my safety," Dr. Steele said, stepping into Ruby's field of view once she was sure the chains couldn't be broken. "You had a little meltdown."

"Meltdown? I… I don't remember what happened," Ruby admitted, looking up at the good doctor's face. "All I remember is… losing a bet I had to win… and then an intense rage."

"I thought as much. You put two of the four soldiers Malakai sent you in the hospital," Dr. Steele explained. "And you broke a third one's weapon."

"He has others, I'm sure," Ruby rolled her eyes. "And at least one of them deserved it. I can't remember… why. But he did."

"I'm sure," Gloria chuckled.

"Where am I?" Ruby asked a moment later.

"Ah, you're in a special room inside of the Wycademy. After your little… _incident_ in Bherna, I had to contain you."

"Contain me?"

"You've been unconscious for about five hours. And I wasn't sure if you'd still be… unstable when you woke up."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Unstable? I don't feel… any different than I usually do," she muttered. "Can you take the chains off now?"

"I'm afraid not… at least not yet. I have some bad news…" Gloria trailed off. "You see, I'm not sure how long the serum I gave you will last. And I'd like to keep you here until I'm sure I know the answer to that question."

"Serum? For what?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, and that's the bad news. You've been afflicted with the frenzy virus," Gloria explained. "Normally, that wouldn't be much of a problem. You could cure it by waiting just a few minutes, or by taking a nice nap… but for some reason you've been infected with the full virus."

"I thought only monsters could be infected with the full virus," Ruby said, narrowing her eyes. She had known for awhile that she was feeling the effects of the frenzy… but she had been sure it was from the mark Nova gave her. Not that she had actually come down with the virus.

"Yes, normally humans can't be afflicted with the full strength of the virus. There's just not enough nutrients in our body to sustain it. It incubates faster in us than in monsters, but it only prevents natural recovery and they become a bit more vulnerable to frenzy-based attacks," Gloria nodded. "But in a monster, the frenzy drives them mad… forcing them in a near constant enraged state, before inevitably killing them."

"How did I manage to contract the full strain, then?" Ruby asked, suppressing a growl as she did. It had to be Nova's fault.

"Well… that's bad news part two," Gloria admitted, scratching the back of her neck. "But before I tell you… do you know what the purpose of the frenzy is?"

"Besides being a virus? No."

"The virus has three purposes besides being an actual virus. For one, it's made up of a Magala's scales, which allow Gore Magala to see, since they don't have eyes. Two, it's also a weapon, but I'm sure you knew that one," Gloria chuckled. "And thirdly… Shagaru Magala can fertilize their virus and spread it around like spores from a plant."

"…" Ruby wasn't entirely sure how to answer that last point. "What… what does that mean?"

"Well, Ruby… there's no easy way to put this," Gloria sighed, scratching the back of her neck again. "But you're pregnant."

"Uh… what?" Ruby all but squeaked, her eyes widening as she stared up at the good doctor. She hadn't expected… _that_ to come out of her mouth.

"Well… kinda," Gloria would admit that it was a slight exaggeration. "You're not pregnant in the conventional sense… but ever since you let the frenzy take over, you've got an egg growing inside of you."

"But… but how?" Ruby asked. "I thought you said humans didn't have the proper nutrients to support the virus… I assume they can't incubate the egg properly either!"

"Yes, I did say that. And yes, you're right… the virus typically fades before the egg ever has a chance to start incubating," Gloria sighed. "But there's something… in you… that's helping the full virus incubate and has allowed the egg to start growing as well."

"What exactly is _in me?_ " Ruby hissed, narrowing her eyes.

"I have no clue. Zim contracted the full strain of the virus because he's about thirty percent Rajang. His body had more to offer the virus," Gloria shrugged. "I can tell you that you're definitely not a hybrid. So what caused you to contract the full strain of the virus is beyond me."

"This is Nova's fault," Ruby snarled, her eyes glowing red again as she began struggling against the chains. " **She did this to me!"**

"Hmm… that's not very long at all…" Gloria muttered as she made her way over to a desk behind Ruby's head and picked up a syringe. She walked back over to the frenzied female and inserted the needle into her neck. She pressed the plunger down, pushing the blue liquid inside into Ruby's neck.

Ruby's struggles ceased, though violent shivers wracked her body. She let out a violent bout of coughing as her eyes turned back to their pink color. Still a sign the frenzy was inside of her, but at least the virus no longer had control. "What… what was that?" she managed to ask between coughs.

"That was a serum made from nulberries and a few other special ingredients. In a normal human, it cures the frenzy virus… but for you, it looks like it's only suppressing it momentarily," Gloria sighed. "It didn't last very long, unfortunately. Oh, and this wasn't Nova's fault. When she gave you the mark, she didn't know you would react poorly to it… though I doubted she meant to give you a fertilized version of the virus."

 _Goddamn, fucking… shit,_ Ruby grumbled internally. Things were looking bleak. "Well? Give me some options. What should I do?" she asked.

"Well obviously you don't want to sit around and wait for the Magala to hatch. It'll eat you from the inside out and burst out of your chest," Gloria rolled her eyes. "So I'd say you've got three options."

"Then just fucking give them to me! Goddamn it!"

"No need to curse. You know what Shiro would say…" Dr. Steele couldn't help the smirk that spread across her face.

"You're _asking_ to get mauled when I'm finally free," Ruby hissed dangerously.

The good doctor rolled her eyes at the threat. "In any case, all three options are equally difficult and dangerous. The first one is that we wait a few weeks… or months, however long it takes, and right as the Magala hatches, I cut you open and remove it before it has a chance to eat its way out of you. It'll be easier to heal an incision I make than whatever the Magala eats."

Ruby grimaced at the idea of being cut open. Though being eaten alive wasn't exactly a better option. Though being cut open right as the Magala hatched still sounded dangerous. "What are the other two?" she asked, hoping for alternatives.

"Well… the other option is to wait until right before the egg hatches and then I give you some drugs to induce labor. You'll give birth to the Magala before it hatches," Gloria explained. "The Magala will still be alive, but it'll hatch terribly hungry."

"That… sounds better… though it's still weird to think about," Ruby muttered. "What if it hatches during… labor?"

"It could do a little bit of damage to your insides, but nothing a few potions wouldn't cure," Gloria shook her head. "But the main problem is that I'm not entirely sure where the egg is. For all I know, it's not actually in your uterus. It could be attached to your intestines or the outside of your stomach or something like that. And considering how long we'd have to wait to give you the proper drugs, the Magala could hatch and we couldn't remove it while your body tries to give birth to nothing."

"Hold on… how big is this egg?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not very big at all. It'd be difficult to see even if we cut you open," Gloria shook her head.

"So… I won't _look_ pregnant then? I'll still be able to fight and all?" Ruby asked, suddenly not quite as worried.

"Not until the Magala hatches and grows rapidly, no," Gloria explained. "And don't think that you can have a 'miscarriage' either. That egg, wherever it is, is glued on tight. It'll only come loose right before it hatches. And before you ask, no, I have no idea how long it'll take… we'll have to closely monitor you."

"Ech. Nothing can be easy, eh?" Ruby grumbled. "So what's the third option? You've been avoiding talking about it."

"Well the third option is overcoming the virus and going apex," the good doctor sighed. "Which is probably the hardest option."

"Going apex, huh? How hard could it be? Zim did it," Ruby huffed, shifting on the table a bit to get more comfortable. "I could just ask him."

"I doubt Zim knows how he went apex, it was an accident, or so I recall," Gloria shrugged again. "No one really knows how a monster goes apex. But, what I can assume is that it has something to do with the Magala inside of you. Maybe by absorbing it somehow, they gain its frenzy powers for themselves, and cure their disease. But that's just a theory, and I wouldn't know the first thing about actually doing it."

"Well it sounds like that's still my best option!" Ruby exclaimed. "It's the only one that doesn't involve sitting around and waiting to do risky surgery."

"Yes, but it's equally as dangerous. Don't forget that the reason you're even stable right now is because of my nulberry serum… I assume in order to go apex, you'll have to stop using the serum. Which means you'll be a danger to everyone in Bherna… not like you already aren't, though," Gloria chuckled.

"Then I'll head down into the frontier," Ruby growled. "I'll be far enough away from town to not be a danger, and I'll have free reign to do everything my frenzy-induced mind comes up with to go apex."

"Ruby… if you do that, then you could be too far away or too far gone for either of the other options to work," the good doctor said. "I urge you to reconsider."

"I can't… and I won't," Ruby shook her head. "I'll figure out how to go apex, I promise."

Dr. Steele let out a loud, annoyed sigh. There was no arguing with her. "Then I at least suggest you take a backpack full of rations, supplies, and nulberry serums. I want you to _slowly_ wean yourself off the serum, and you should still have enough extra that you'll be able to stabilize yourself if something goes wrong."

"Whatever you say, doc," Ruby rolled her eyes. "Now… are you going to let me out of these chains?"

"Not yet I'm not," Gloria smirked. "I still have a few tests to run. I want to see if I can make the serum last a bit longer. _Then_ I'll let you go." Ruby could only let out a frustrated groan.

 _Schwanger: Pregnant_

XXX

 **And that's where we'll leave this chapter! I know that I only really focused on Ruby, but as you can see, she's going through something very important. I was a little worried that the… concept might seem a bit strange. But I figured after Zim practiced cannibalism in the prequel and that no one batted an eye at the idea that Shiro was fucked by a Rajang (and that there's more weirdness to come), I figured you all could handle this little surprise. Which is why I hid the translation of the title until the very end. Clever me, eh?**

 **In any case, Ruby's in a bit of a bind. The virus that's infected her actually contains a Magala egg… will she be able to prevent the Magala from hatching and eating her inside out? Will she be able to achieve the apex state? Or will she have to resort to another option? All that and more, next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Löwenbiest:

Author's Note:

 **Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Monster Hunter XX is coming to the west! It's gonna be called Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. Damn, I wish I had gotten this chapter out last week when it was announced! I gotta say, though… Valstrax as Valfalk's localized name isn't a bad thing. Val still works as a name, eh (I'll still be calling his species Valfalk, probably…)? The only bad thing about MHGU coming to the west is that it's gonna be on the Switch. That's not in itself a bad thing… but I don't have a Switch, and I'm too poor to afford one. So I'll probably not be getting it…**

 **In any case, there were a few interesting reactions to Ruby's 'pregnancy' last chapter, but nothing worth specifically commenting on. This chapter focuses mostly on Zim and his trip to the Arctic Ridge. Please, enjoy!**

XXX

 _Löwenbiest – Lion Beast:_

Zim hopped out of the balloon and onto the grass of the abandoned basecamp that once belonged to the Hunter's Guild. The basecamp was in tatters, like many of the other abandoned camps the Guild once owned. The blue and red boxes where hunters once picked up supplies or dropped off items were gone. The bed was nothing more than a pile of lumber. The Hunter's Guild had taken what they could and destroyed what they couldn't.

But Zim didn't really care about the state of the basecamp. The camp was at the foot of an enormous mountain range. While the guild only really cared about the closest mountain, which was a fairly easy climb and not very tall when compared to its brethren, Zim planned on going further into the Arctic Ridge than any hunter ever dared to. It would be the best place to find what he was looking for.

" **Stay here. I'm going to be back in ten days, but if, for whatever reason, I'm not back within twelve, fly back to Dundorma and get help… however useless it would be,"** Zim ordered the Palico who flew the balloon. The apex was already swirling around him, despite the fact that it wasn't that cold yet. The foot of the mountain was actually quite pleasant, with grass growing tall and very little snow to speak of. But once he began his climb, he knew the temperatures would drop below freezing, and he'd need the apex state to survive.

The Palico only nodded, before leaning back against the side of the balloon, thankful that he had brought food. It seemed as if this was going to be a rather long wait. Zim made his way out of the basecamp and straight towards the mountain. The field he had to walk through had several frolicking Antekas and grazing Popos, but he ignored all of them as pulled himself onto a ledge and padded through a cave entrance.

The Hunter's Guild spent a lot of time on this mountain, carving pathways through the base, making it even easier to climb to the top. Despite the amount of time they had spent on the mountain, they abandoned it surprisingly quickly. But Zim wasn't really interested in worrying about the Hunter's Guild at this moment. He was more concerned with finding a Rajang.

Rajang weren't beasts that were easy to find. Like Deviljho, Rajang lived in a lot of different environments, but unlike Deviljho, Rajang tended to settle down in one territory once they found one they liked. And apparently one had set up shop in the Arctic Ridge, if the five-month-old quest was still accurate. Someone living near the ridge sent the Hunter's Guild a hunt request, but no one had accepted it by the time the Harmony Guild took power.

But he wasn't here to hunt the Rajang… he was just here to talk. Hopefully the beast would grant him that much. They weren't exactly known to be social creatures, so he wasn't sure what to expect. For all he knew, the trek out here was pointless, and he'd have to find some other way to unlock his inner Rajang.

The Arctic Ridge was an endless field of white peaks. Traversing the mountaintops and the frozen valleys could have any man wandering for years on end. It was nearly impossible to maintain a sense of direction, unless he was above the cloud line where he could see the sun. He walked, ran, jumped, and climbed for four days straight.

His apex state never left, never faltered, never failed. If he had the time, he would've stopped to marvel at his own strength. But he didn't have the time. He had less than a week left… and if he didn't find what he was looking for soon, he'd have to head back. While his apex state never failed him, thoughts of his own failure pervaded his mind.

This journey was seeming to be more and more a waste of time. He should've been back in Dundorma, helping the new Guild's troops prepare for their last major assault in this war. If the Hunter's Guild had any sense, they would've armed and barricaded Loc Lac with every last soldier they had. They would be prepared for an assault that would rival that of the Harmony Guild's first attack on Dundorma. They would be prepared for Elder Dragons, Zim, and every eventuality under the sun.

But there were no Elder Dragons… it was them who had carried the brunt of the first assault. It was them who helped Zim break through the front gate. It was them that held off Shiro at a great cost to their own lives. With Agni and Frost dead, Fuun still likely recovering, and Angel practically unreachable… the Harmony Guild would not be able to put up the same force as they had during the first assault.

Without proper preparation… they would fail. And here Zim was, out in the Arctic Ridge, searching for something he was probably never going to find. If it was even here in the first place. If he was back in Dundorma, then he could be helping the troops in any way necessary. Strategies, extra training, even time spent scouring over every inch of Loc Lac's blueprints and architecture would be more productive than wandering this white desert.

If it wasn't for the sun rising on the fifth day, then Zim would've lost track of all time, and given up. It felt as if he had just blinked and missed the fourth night. He had no need for rest, nor food. All he had with him were a few hot drinks, enough to keep him hydrated throughout the hike.

 _It's time to quit,_ he sighed internally. He had convinced himself the previous day that he would've been more useful in Dundorma. He could've made more of a difference there, even if he _had_ found a Rajang and _had_ been able to learn the secret of their lightning power. It was time to turn back… if he hurried, perhaps he could still spend more prep time in Dundorma.

The hybrid spun around on his heel and began making his way back to the balloon. He resisted the urge to trudge through the snow, as that would only slow him down. He wasn't sure exactly which direction he needed to go, but he figured if he made it back to the edge of the ridge, it would only be a matter of time until he located the abandoned base camp.

Zim lowered himself a bit as he prepared to take off at full speed towards the edge of the ridge, but a loud roar sounding from behind him caused him to pause. And it was a roar he recognized all too well…

The hybrid turned around to see an enormous Deviljho practically glowing red with all the blood pumping through its veins. A mask of red dragon energy surrounded its face, signaling that this was a Savage Deviljho. And it was much, much larger than average, almost certainly a gold crown beast.

" _Food… food… food…"_ the Deviljho panted, its deep voice managing to pierce the sound of the wind whipping around Zim's head. It was tough to tell if the Deviljho was male or female, but it really didn't matter… no matter how hard Zim tried, he would never be able to communicate with the beast before him.

Deviljho were one of the few monsters that were impossible to communicate with. They only knew one word: food. And when they were hungry, which was almost always, they couldn't be talked out of seeing something as a potential meal. But they were rare… and weren't impossible to defeat.

Zim let out a roar of his own, the black mist of the apex state swirling around him even more violently as he prepared for the oncoming duel. A Savage Deviljho was a tough opponent, but with the apex state, Zim was invulnerable. Even though he didn't quite have the reach of the theropod, he was faster, more maneuverable, and likely just as strong.

The Deviljho charged forward while Zim was distracted trying to think of a good way to fight the beast with his bare hands. There was quite a bit of distance between the two monsters, enough that Zim was able to react to the Deviljho's charge without an issue. The hybrid rolled away, but just as he jumped to his feet to deliver a devastating counter-attack to one of the Deviljho's legs, another roar caused him to pause.

It was another roar he recognized… but not because it was a monster he fought many times before. No… this roar was so familiar because it sounded _nearly identical_ to his own. _A Rajang!_ Zim realized as he whipped around to catch sight of the glorious beast.

The Rajang stood on a hill almost a hundred meters away from Zim and the Deviljho. Its fur was standing on end, revealing its true golden color. Electricity jumped between the strands of hair on its back as the beast opened its mouth. The charging of a Rajang's beam attack was rather quick, but the act of one firing it was nearly instantaneous.

Zim couldn't tell what the Rajang was doing to power its attack, nor could he tell where the Rajang was aiming. But, assuming the worst, the hybrid ducked right as the beast fired the beam of electricity. The beam moved at supersonic speeds and easily ripped through its target. The Deviljho's flank.

The brute wyvern let out a scream of pain, its insides turning to mush from the sheer power of the Rajang's electricity. The Savage Deviljho's high speed regeneration kicked in, trying to mitigate the damage, but the wound was serious. It was clear the monster would need some time to heal.

Zim watched as the Deviljho limped away, doing its best to put as much distance between itself and the Rajang as possible. It was rare to see a monster that large and hungry run away from a potential meal, but with lightning being one of its biggest weaknesses, there was no way for it to go toe to toe with a Rajang who had already hit it once.

The Deviljho disappeared into the white wasteland, the snowfall blocking Zim's line of sight to it not long after it limped away. Besides, Zim didn't care about the Deviljho… he cared about the Rajang. _I found one!_ Zim couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he watched the ape-like creature begin making its way towards him.

The hybrid stood stock-still, his apex state still swirling around him just in case the Rajang was violent. Zim had no idea how Rajang even reacted to their own kind… let alone something that was only part of their species. The Rajang's golden fur remained raised, almost as if it was as cautious of Zim as Zim was of it.

The monster exuded an enormous amount of power up close. Its arms were thick and burly, like tree trunks, and its red glowing eyes seemed to pierce Zim's soul. The Rajang was also taller than the hybrid, even though it was down on all fours, and the huge horns extending from the sides of its head only made it more intimidating.

" _Who are you?"_ the beast asked, before leaning forward to give the hybrid a good sniff. It was difficult for Zim to place the gender of the monster… but if he had to guess, he would say male. " _And what are you?"_

" **I am a hybrid… my name is Zim,"** Zim replied, staring right up into the Rajang's eyes. He wasn't sure what the proper way to greet a Rajang was, so he did nothing in an effort not to offend the monster.

" _A hybrid?"_ the Rajang said, taking a step backwards and cocking his head. " _A hybrid of what?"_

" **Human and Rajang,"** Zim answered, squaring his shoulders. " **Surely you could tell I wasn't an ordinary human… otherwise you would've attacked me."**

" _Would I have?"_ the Rajang asked.

" **Why wouldn't you have?"** Zim replied, raising an eyebrow. " **I'm a stranger in your territory…"**

" _Huh? Oh no, this isn't my territory. I heard something that sounded like one of my kind in trouble, so I came to investigate,"_ the Rajang said. " _I didn't see anyone but you fighting that beast. I recognized you as one of those flesh-mammals… but you weren't wearing their monster-suits or their beast-weapons."_

" **Well, I'm grateful for your assistance,"** Zim said, glad that the Rajang wasn't aggressive. " **And I have no need for human weapons or armors."**

" _Really?"_ the Rajang asked, leaning closer to Zim once again, his nostrils flaring as he sucked in the hybrid's scent. " _You look an awful lot like the flesh-mammals… they're notoriously physically weak."_

" **I told you I wasn't just a human,"** Zim huffed, crossing his arms. " **I'm part Rajang."**

" _No idea what a Rajang is…"_ the beast admitted, cocking his head.

" **It's what you are,"** Zim deadpanned, pointing at the Rajang. " **Rajang is what humans call your species. Do you have another word for it?"**

" _No… not really. We have names, you know,"_ the Rajang said. " _Mine is Ni."_

" **Ni,"** Zim said, as if trying out how the name sounded on his tongue.

" _Wait… if you're part what I am, then_ _ **you**_ _were the one who called for help?"_ Ni asked.

" **Was I calling for help? I thought I was being threatening,"** Zim said, furrowing his brow. " **I guess I don't understand your… less articulate vocals. Good thing I found you, then."**

" _Is that why you're so far out here… Zim, is it?"_ Ni asked. " _To learn about yourself?"_

" **That's exactly why I'm here,"** the hybrid nodded. " **Can you teach me?"**

" _No… I'm afraid I cannot do that"_

" **And why not?"** Zim growled, interrupting the Rajang. He tried his best not to come off as angry, but there was a clear bite to his tone. _Was this really a waste of time?_ he wondered internally.

" _Because I know of a much better teacher,"_ Ni finished his thought, not even perturbed by Zim's snarl. " _Come with me."_ Zim barely had time to take off running as the Rajang leapt off, his strong arms propelling him forward as he easily outpaced the hybrid. It was all Zim could do to maintain visual contact with Ni from the whipping winds and falling snow.

XXX

" _Are you going off hunting again?"_ a voice caused Val to pause in his step. Glancing behind him, he spotted Rachel gingerly making her way towards him. It had been well over a week since he had slammed into her going faster than the speed of sound, and her legs had only just fully healed. She was still a little wobbly when she walked, but that was just from atrophy, she was no longer limping. Her wings, however, had yet to even start healing.

" _No…"_ Val replied, turning back around. " _I was going… somewhere. Are you hungry? I can hunt real quick before I leave."_

" _L-leave?"_ Rachel asked, her eyes widening. " _Are you not coming back?!"_

" _Yes, I'll be coming back,"_ Val rolled his eyes. " _And I planned on bringing food when I got back… but if you and your hatchlings are hungry now, then I can bring you something first."_

" _Well, uh… yes, we are hungry now… but I'd like to know where you're going? And when you'll be back?"_ Rachel asked, walking around him to put herself between him and the exit to the cave.

 _Crazy bitch,_ Val grumbled internally. He could very easily push past her, but he didn't want to injure the Rathian again. " _Where I'm going isn't important, it's not far away. I'll be back tonight… maybe a bit later if I get unlucky. But I'll bring you something to eat before I go. Please move…"_

" _Unlucky? Where the hell are you going?"_ Rachel asked, glaring at Val. " _I have the right to know."_

" _Do you now?"_ Val asked, cocking his head. He resisted the urge to bare his teeth at her, but he did narrow his eyes, summoning his most scathing glare. " _I don't have to tell you anything."_

" _Then I'll never move out of the way!"_ Rachel huffed, spreading what was left of her wings to make sure she was blocking as much of the exit as possible.

" _Get out of my way,"_ Val hissed.

" _T-tell me where you're going!"_ Rachel replied, though she didn't sound quite as confident as before.

" _No,"_ Val replied. One of his wings rotated so that the ends that fired the red energy that allowed him to fly faced forward. The tips of his wings spread apart to reveal a type of black wing membrane that held the pieces of his wings together.

Rachel cocked her head in confusion, having never seen him do this before. If she didn't know any better, Val had turned one of his wings into a rather large fifth paw. Rachel barely had time to wonder what the hell he was doing before his wing came smashing down on her back. She was still tender, and it didn't take much force for her legs to buckle beneath her.

She hit the ground with a _thud_ , her hatchlings letting out screams as they saw the elder dragon push their mother out of his way. Val's wing flipped back to its normal position and the red energy bursting from the tips became even more volatile, a low _hum_ filling the air as it did. " _I just don't understand why you care so much,"_ Val snarled, before rocketing away at full speed.

Rachel looked up just in time to hear a loud _boom_ , signaling he had broke the sound barrier as he raced away. She bit her lip hard as she tried not to sob… why _did_ she care so much? It was hard for her to even comprehend… maybe she was just curious. Maybe she was just reeling from the loss of her mate, and was desperately trying to find anyone to latch onto. Or maybe she could tell his soul was just as damaged as hers.

Perhaps it was a bit too early for her to make a declaration of love. It had only been a few weeks since her mate died, and it was still half a year away from the next mating season. But even then… she would be lying if she said Val wasn't her first choice.

Rachel let out a groan as she pushed herself off the ground, padding over to her hatchlings. " _Is he getting food, mommy?"_ the red hatchling asked, looking up at his mother with a worried expression.

" _Yes… he is,"_ Rachel said as she laid down next to her nest, curling around it as she did.

" _When will he be back?"_ the golden hatchling asked, laying down on Rachel's tail.

" _Tonight… he'll be back tonight,"_ Rachel muttered as she laid her head down, hoping that her hatchlings needed a nap as much as she did. She really hoped that Val would be back… for all she knew, she scared him away.

XXX

 **Ah… yeah, I think this is a better ending than what I originally had down. I apologize profusely for how long this chapter took, I would've tried to finish this in how little time I had after finals a week ago, but I got writer's block. But the block is broken, and I really hope that I'll be able to get chapters out on a more consistent basis. No promises though, I'm going to be a little busy this summer.**

 **In any case… in this chapter we get the set up for Zim's story line… and we progress Val and Rachel's story line too. It looks like the next time we see Zim, we'll have more interactions between him and Ni, his new Rajang friend. And I hope that Rachel hasn't accidentally ruined her relationship with Val… but we'll find out all that and more next time. Stay tuned until then!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Schwellenangst:

Author's Note:

 **Quite a few of you seemed to be worried about Val and Rachel… but I'm not going to reassure you! For all you know, their relationship is ruined forever! And you're not gonna find out this chapter either. You'll just have to wait and see…**

 **This chapter we're going to finally get around to showing off what Shiro and Malakai are up to. I bet they're on a boat. I don't know much about sailing, but I did a bit of research, so hopefully I don't embarrass myself. Please, enjoy!**

XXX

 _Schwellenangst: Fear of crossing a threshold to embark on something new._

The high seas were remarkably boring. They had been sailing for nearly a week, and yet not a single thing of note had happened. For all the dangerous monsters that lurked beneath the waves, not a single shadow had been spotted by any of the crew. The ship Malakai and Shiro had chosen to take them to Moga was a mid-sized, lightly armed, merchant-class vessel.

It only had a single ballista on either side of the ship and a hunting gong attached to the main mast. The armaments were mostly just to discourage any monsters from attacking. A few shots from a ballista would send the smaller monsters and sharqs scurrying, and a single strike from a hunting gong would stun larger monsters long enough for the ship to get away.

There was only one monster, besides an Elder Dragon, that could pose a threat to the merchant-class vessel. And that was the Lagiacrus. A Lagiacrus was large enough to capsize the ship if it tried to pull itself on deck, and it was fast enough to catch up to the vessel even if stunned by the hunting gong. A Lagiacrus' lightning was more than enough to catch the vulnerable sails on fire, and the beast was big enough to sometimes cause flooding by knocking holes into the hull of the ship.

The mid-sized ship wasn't armed with cannons, which would usually be used to ward off a Lagiacrus. The only thing that could stop a monster as strong as a Lagiacrus was if Shiro or Malakai jumped off the boat to engage the beast in the water. Malakai was more than thankful that they hadn't encountered any Lagiacrus during their voyage… he wasn't exactly adept at underwater combat.

The captain of the vessel had called it the safest voyage he had ever been on. Malakai took this to mean that the journey back would more than likely be worse, and knowing his own luck, probably a Lagiacrus attack. The crew of the vessel didn't have Malakai's negative outlook. They firmly believed that the reason they hadn't encountered even a single monster was because of Shiro.

Shiro had been spending her entire time on the ship fuming, pacing back and forth across the deck in full combat gear, muttering to herself how much she hated sailing. That she had 'forgotten' how much she loathed it. And that going to Moga wasn't even remotely worth being on a ship. The crew believed Shiro to be some sort of deity, and that her anger was what was keeping the monsters away.

Shiro didn't find it amusing, however, and would often verbally assault or threaten the crew whenever they called her 'The Goddess of Monster Repellant.' She had already thrown one of the crew overboard, though he was swiftly rescued, and was beginning to threaten to break bones. Malakai wisely chose to stay below deck to avoid Shiro's wrath.

Malakai let out a sigh as he leaned back against his cot. While Shiro was busy fuming, he had been trying to think of ways to convince the inhabitants of Moga to agree to their request. While Shiro claimed to be able to convince the Moga inhabitants to do whatever she wanted, Malakai wasn't so certain. If Shiro really was from Moga, then Malakai had no doubt the inhabitants would at least meet with her to discuss their request, but there was no guarantee they would agree.

Malakai had a feeling they would want something in return. And the best thing he could think of was 'protection.' But what was protection really worth? If anything, it sounded like a threat. _If you don't help us, we'll raze your village to the ground,_ that's what it sounded like. Moga was so isolated anyways that it would be difficult to attack… and if Harmony Guild's attack on Loc Lac was successful, then it wasn't like the Hunter's Guild would pose much of a problem.

 _Maybe I should specify protection from monsters?_ Malakai wondered to himself as he stared up at the ceiling. He didn't know much about Moga, but because of how isolated it was, it probably had a lack of hunters on the island. And there were plenty of sea and sky faring monsters that could take advantage of Moga's defenselessness.

It was the best thing he could think of. He could probably spare a few Knights of the Wolf members after the battle of Loc Lac, sending them over to Moga to keep the peace. He wasn't sure how enthused Moga would be about their methods, however… as far as he knew, Moga subscribed to the Hunter's Guild method of dealing with monsters. The villagers would probably be more than skeptical of the Harmony Guild's tactics.

But maybe Moga would ask for something completely different. Maybe more trading! It would be much easier than protection, Dundorma had plenty of trade ships rearing to trade with new areas. The more trading, the better, after all.

"Land ho!" the captain's voice cut Malakai's train of thought off. With another sigh, the Harmony Guild's Guildmaster hopped off his cot and stretched. They were finally here… who knows what could happen? Maybe the Moga villagers wouldn't mind doing this favor for free?

 _Fat chance,_ Malakai muttered internally as he made his way above deck. There was no doubt in his mind that the villagers needed something. The former hunter went to stand next to Shiro, who was standing right by the landing board, ready to jump off the ship the moment it docked.

The captain sailed the ship into Moga's docking bay, but his ship wasn't the only ship docked at Moga's port. Malakai's eyes widened at the enormous frigate docked only a few meters away from their ship. It was armed to the teeth with cannons, ballistae, and it even looked like it had a dragonator. _The Argosy_ was painted in large gold letters across the stern of the frigate.

" _That's_ _The Argosy_?!" Malakai all but exclaimed as their mid-sized merchant vessel dropped its anchors and docked at Moga's docking bay. Malakai had seen and even spoken to the Argosy Captain on more than a few occasions… but he had never actually seen the man's ship.

"Yup. Twenty guns, eight ballistae, and a dragonator… enough to make any monster piss its pants!" the captain chuckled heartily as it walked up behind the two Harmony Guild members. The captain was a large man, though it was difficult to tell if it was muscle or fat that made him so big.

"It's not that impressive," Shiro grumbled as she jumped off the ship and landed on the dock with a loud _thud_.

"She's just upset," Malakai assured the captain, waiting for the landing bay to be lowered before getting off the ship.

"I know, boy," the captain chuckled. "She's a landlubber, but a fine-looking one. The only good kind of landlubber."

"Don't say that to her face… she'll probably break yours," Malakai cackled as he hopped off the ship and into the small village of Moga. "And we need you to get us back home!"

"Aye, that be true!" the captain called back, puffing up his chest with a sense of importance. He watched Malakai retreat into the center of the small village, before heading back to his cabin to get some well-deserved rest.

Small was probably an overstatement when describing Moga. It was pathetically tiny. Malakai could easily run from one side of the village to the other in well under a minute. As long as he didn't trip and fall, or break through any of the wimpy-looking boards that made up the village floor. Moga wasn't actually built on land… the inhabitants had built a floating village attached to an island. Why they did this instead of just having their village be in land, Malakai had no idea. It seemed impractical and dangerous.

Being right next to the water was probably way more dangerous than being further in land… a sea monster could easily leap over the edge of the port, snatch one of the many kids Malakai could see standing around, and disappear back into the depths long before anyone could do anything about it. _Maybe that's why everyone looks so glum… they're realizing their huge mistake and are regretting it,_ the former hunter thought.

The entire village had gone quiet the moment Shiro leapt off the ship. They had all stopped whatever it was they were doing, working, playing, or even just chatting, to stare at the two intruders as they made their way into the center of the village. Shiro had her head held high, but by the stares and glares she seemed to be getting, Malakai was no longer confident if she really held as high a standing in the village as she thought she did…

Malakai spotted the Argosy Captain standing near a load of crates next to the village center. There was a man standing on top of the crates that the Argosy Captain had probably been talking to before Shiro jumped off the boat. The Argosy Captain was armed with his Barbarian longsword like he always was, but that wasn't what concerned Malakai.

What concerned Malakai was the massive man standing next to the Argosy Captain. He was wearing some type of white armor the former hunter didn't quite recognize, but his helmet completely covered his face. Two huge horns extended from either side of the helmet, making Malakai think that it was some type of Diablos armor. But he had _never_ seen Diablos set like that…

The armored male stood a good foot taller than the Argosy Captain, assuring Malakai that it wasn't the armor that was making the man look so big. On the armored man's back was an enormous, white greatsword, equally as huge as its owner. There was no doubt in Malakai's mind that this man was a hunter.

Shiro marched up straight to an elderly man who was sitting on a stool in the very center of the village. He was smoking some sort of pipe, calmly watching Shiro approach him. "Moga Village Chief Juunko… it's been awhile," Shiro said as she stepped up to him.

"Indeed it has… Mother," Juunko said after a few seconds of silence, exhaling smoke from his nostrils as he spoke.

"Things really haven't changed much since the last time I was here, huh?" Shiro asked.

"Things haven't changed in four hundred years… and things certainly won't be changing any time soon," Juunko said, calmly inhaling on his pipe.

Shiro eyes narrowed, seemingly getting the underlying meaning behind those words. "Oh really?" she asked, an incredibly fake smile spreading across her face. "I don't think you're thinking big enough. A lot can change in just a short amount of time… even me. You don't have to call me Mother anymore, you know… I have a name now. It's Shiro."

Juunko rolled his eyes. "What do you want from us, Shiro?" he asked, glaring at her. "We're not feeling particularly generous towards you or that man you're with at the moment."

"Oh?" Shiro asked, glancing back at Malakai. "I'm guessing that means… you've already heard about what happened, then."

"Our dear Argosy Captain had been in Dundorma right up to the attack," Juunko explained, crossing his arms. "We know all about your little _Harmony Guild_."

"Do you now?" Shiro asked, curling her hands into fists.

Malakai took the opportunity to step up next to Shiro and put a hand on her shoulder. " _We're unarmed!_ " he hissed rather loudly, reminding her that they couldn't really afford combat at the moment.

" _I can take 'em… all of 'em,_ " Shiro replied, hissing right back at Malakai.

Clearing his throat nervously, as he still didn't like the look of that hunter, he tried diplomacy again. "If you've already heard of us, then that saves some explaining," Malakai said, stepping closer to the Village Chief. "We're just here to ask for a favor. And in return, we'd be willing to grant you any number of things…"

"Leave," Juunko said, glaring up at Malakai. "You can do us all a favor and just leave."

"Well, I can't really do that," Malakai admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "But please, consider our offer."

"Yeah… _consider it_ … 'cause the Hunter's Guild won't be around much longer to help you out," Shiro snarled, glaring at Juunko. She may have been three hundred years his senior, but he didn't even flinch from her glare.

"I've given it all the thought I needed… now leave," Juunko ordered, gesturing towards the massive hunter standing next to the Argosy Captain. The armored brute made his way towards the chief, each step causing the wooden planks under his boots to creak and groan from his weight.

Malakai took a step backwards as the huge hunter approached them, but Shiro eagerly stepped forward, pushing Malakai behind him. Sure, Malakai was, at one time, the number two hunter in the Hunter's Guild… but that was when he was armed and up against monsters. Not only had he never seen this particular hunter before, Malakai was unarmed. Shiro, however, had no such misgivings.

"Then I guess we'll just have to show you how much better the Harmony Guild is, then!" the white-haired woman exclaimed. She cocked her fist back, before throwing it forward with all her might, aiming at the hunter's chest.

The hunter moved with a swiftness unbecoming of a man of his size. He caught Shiro's punch without even flinching, before counter-attacking nearly instantaneously. He delivered a mean right hook across Shiro's face, striking her before she even knew what hit her.

The punch connected with so much force that Shiro's head spun around one hundred and eighty degrees. Vicious cracking sounds filled the air as bones and sinew were snapped by the sheer force of the hunter's blow. Shiro stared at Malakai, who was standing directly behind her, with wide eyes. Maybe she had bitten off a bit more than she could chew…

XXX

Zim panted as he followed behind the much faster Rajang. Ni moved almost effortlessly through the thick snow as they both scaled one of the tallest mountains in the region. The winds only became stronger the higher they went, but Zim pushed himself to make sure he could keep visual contact with Ni. His apex state prevented him from becoming cold or contracting frostbite, but it wasn't much help in actually navigating through the blizzard.

It took several hours to scale the largest mountain in the Arctic Ridge. Ni made it up first, far ahead of Zim. The Rajang pulled himself onto a ledge about half a kilometer below the zenith of the mountain. Imbedded into the side of the mountain was a large opening, big enough for four Rajangs to fit through at once.

Ni looked down to see Zim still making his way to the ledge. The hybrid's progress was slow as, although the fall off the mountain likely wouldn't hurt Zim, the climb back up would be incredibly tedious. Zim took his time finding handholds, making sure each one was firm enough for him to climb higher and higher.

" **Please tell me that this was just a test and that there's actually an entrance at the base of the mountain,"** Zim groaned as he pulled himself onto the ledge, spotting the cave as he did.

" _I'm afraid not,"_ Ni shook his head. " _The climb is difficult on purpose… putting an entrance at the base of the mountain would only invite unwelcome intruders."_

" **Like Deviljho?"** Zim asked, glancing up at Ni.

" _If that is what you call the brute-beasts, then yes… Devil Joes,"_ Ni muttered, testing out the new word Zim taught him. " _The Devil Joes as you call them are one of our main sources of competition out here. We don't want any of them getting into our home."_

" **You keep saying 'our'… how many Rajang live here?"** Zim asked as he followed behind Ni into the cavern. " **I thought Rajang were solitary creatures."**

" _And who told you that?"_ Ni asked, cocking his head.

" **Well…"**

" _Exactly. My suggestion is that you forget everything that you know about us,"_ the Rajang said. " _Otherwise you're just going to embarrass yourself."_

" **Noted,"** Zim nodded. " **How many Rajang call this place home, then?"**

" _A lot… I've never counted,"_ Ni shrugged. The cavern was quite dark, but neither Zim nor Ni had any troubles navigating.

" **Huh… are there any other… groups of Rajang? Your species have been spotted all over the place, and usually alone or in pairs… that's why humans think you're solitary monsters,"** Zim explained. The deeper into the cave they went, the darker it became. With no natural light, even with their night vision, the two monsters began to go blind. But they kept forging onwards.

" _Tribes. Groups of… Rajang are called Tribes,"_ Ni explained. " _And yes, I do know of one other Tribe of Rajang located in a volcano. But we're the mother Tribe, they came from us."_

" **And if I were to ask them, would they say the opposite?"** Zim asked.

" _They think we're sister Tribes… that our Tribes both came from a common, true Mother Tribe. But that's just ridiculous,"_ Ni replied. " _They don't have any proof!"_

" **Right…"** Zim trailed off. Ni seemed to get pretty worked up over the little dispute. To Zim, it didn't seem like a big deal… but another part of him wondered how sophisticated Rajang society really was.

" _Anyways… you actually came at the perfect time,"_ Ni said as the cavern began lighting up. Small crystals were growing out of the floors, walls, and ceilings, producing a soft, glowing light.

" **Why's that?"** Zim asked.

" _In just a few days, the young Rajang are going to go on their first solo hunt,"_ Ni said, a small grin splitting his face as the light got even stronger. " _It's a ceremony, of sorts. The young will make their first steps towards adulthood. So you're just in time to join them!"_

" **That's perfect,"** Zim said, his eyes lighting up as he realized what a huge coincidence this was. It was the perfect opportunity. " **I can learn everything I want, and participate in a Rajang ceremony. Is there anything I should know before I jump right in?"**

" _Yes, there is. As far as the ceremony goes, you're a bit late to the party. There are three parts, and the first was last night,"_ Ni explained. " _The second takes place today and tomorrow, and the third and final part, the hunt, takes place in three days."_

" **I've missed the first part, huh? Damn… that sounds about right,"** Zim sighed, rubbing his temples. " **What did I miss?"**

" _The first part of the ceremony consists of the mothers passing on their sons and daughters to the Gray One, who deems them worthy or unworthy of the trials ahead. It's the easiest of the trials, but the Gray One may deem you incapable of competing,"_ Ni explained. " _He checks for physical deformities and weaknesses that could make it dangerous for you to continue. And 'being a flesh-mammal' is one of the biggest deformities in the book."_

" **Thanks for the vote of confidence…"** Zim deadpanned. " **What happens to those who cannot compete?"**

" _There are many tasks for those unworthy. Keeping track of the food, cleaning, repairing the dens, even taking care of the young,"_ Ni said. " _But it's not often the Gray One determines someone cannot compete. But those who can't never get to harness electricity, and thus never earn the right to mate."_

" **Their bad genes are culled from the Tribe…"** Zim muttered. " **Who is this Gray One you keep speaking of?"**

" _You'll see in just a moment,"_ Ni explained as the long hallway they had been walking down suddenly opened up into an enormous cave. The cave was incredibly well-lit, with dozens and dozens of the light crystals growing out of every nook and cranny of the cavern walls. Zim could see dozens of smaller caves burrowed into the walls of the main chamber, likely dens of individual or paired Rajangs as he spotted several of the monsters lounging in front of some of the mouths of the dens.

And growing out of the far side of the chamber was an enormous crystal. It easily reached thirty meters into the air, and jutted out from the wall a good ten to twenty meters. It took up a huge portion of the chamber, and gave off an immense amount of light. The top of the crystal seemed to be relatively flat, because lying on the very tip was another Rajang. This one a deep gray color.

The moment Ni and Zim padded into the chamber, the Gray One looked up from his spot on the giant crystal. Spotting the human entering his territory, he let out a loud roar. Ni shoved Zim forward, before leaping backwards just as the Gray One jumped off the crystal, summersaulting through the air, before landing only a few feet away from Zim. Other Rajang began poking their heads out of their dens to see what the commotion was all about. Upon seeing the human, they quickly bounded over to get a good seat for whatever was about to happen next.

With the Apex state still swirling around Zim, he stood strong in the face of the approaching Rajang. The Gray One marched right up to Zim, dwarfing the hybrid and even Ni with his size. The fur on his back stood on end, much like a normal Rajang's would when it went into rage mode. Though his spiked fur turned black instead of gold, and red lightning jumped across the hairs.

The Rajang bent down, his nostrils flaring as he sucked in Zim's scent. Almost immediately, the Gray One pulled back, his eyes wide. " _You're one of us,"_ he said simply. It wasn't even a question, just a statement.

" **I am,"** Zim affirmed, nodding his head, though he was a little surprised by how quickly the Gray One accepted it. " **And I have come to learn."**

" _To learn?"_ the Gray One asked, cocking his head.

" **I have only recently discovered my hybrid status. I want to know everything I can about my other… thirty-five percent of me,"** Zim explained, remembering that Shiro said he wasn't a fifty-fifty split. " **Ni told me about the ceremony that your kind is in the middle of. I would like to participate."**

" _Participate?"_ the Gray One asked, flicking an ear. " _Participating means being treated like one of us. And even if you smell like us, it doesn't look like you could participate like us."_

" **Try me,"** Zim growled. " **I came here to embrace my other side. I can and I will participate."**

The Gray One's eyes narrowed, the red lightning jumping around his pelt becoming more intense as he stared down at the hybrid. " _Very well… I will allow you to participate. But that means you must pass the first trial. Who will be handing this young one off to me for his entrance into the ceremony?!"_ the huge Rajang roared, glancing around to see if anyone would claim him as their spawn.

Zim grinded his teeth together. Ni had said that the young Rajang's mothers passed them onto the Gray One for the ceremony… since Zim came without anyone, no one could pass him onto the Gray One. He could fail without ever really getting a shot.

The huge room was quiet, everyone glancing around to see if anyone would even let the hybrid have a chance. The Gray One waited several minutes, and when it looked like no one was stepping forward, he said, " _An unclaimed child cannot participate. Without heritage, it is impossible for one to complete the tasks required of them during the ceremony. To accept this hybrid would be dooming him to failure. As such-"_

" _I will claim him!"_ Ni shouted out, stepping forward. Zim glanced up to see a heavy frown on his face, as clearly he didn't want to claim Zim. " _Regardless of his_ _ **heritage**_ _, he is still one of us. He should at least have the right to try."_

The Gray One's eyes narrowed at Ni, but he didn't lash out at the smaller Rajang. " _If you claim the hybrid as your own, then present him to me for a test of his worthiness,"_ the Gray One declared.

Ni nodded his head and pushed Zim forwards, standing right behind the hybrid as they closed the gap between Zim and the Gray One. " _I present to you my own flesh and blood. Just as I took the trial all those years ago, so must he too do the same,"_ Ni said, as if reading off a script. Zim couldn't help but wonder if he had done this before.

" _I accept your offering, and shall judge him as I judge all others of our kind,"_ the Gray One replied, before looking down at Zim. " _Your young one, Ni, has no horns, no fur, no tail, and no claws. His fangs look puny and his arms are pitifully small and weak. Any_ _ **one**_ _of those things would be more than enough to disqualify your young one. However… he has been touched by the Gold Beast, which is even more deserving of a disqualification."_

Mutterings of, ' _The Gold Beast,'_ echoed throughout the crowd as they spoke as quietly as they could to each other. " **The Gold Beast?"** Zim asked, cocking his head. Did he mean Nova? Did he know about the Shagaru Magalas?

" _The Gold Beast! The great golden dragon that spreads its darkness all across the world. The Rot, we call it. When it infects one of our brethren, they must be expelled from our home… lest they infect everyone else,"_ the Gray One growled.

" _I know he has the Rot… but he's also human! It's not affecting his mind at all. I think humans suffer from the disease in a different way,"_ Ni argued.

" _Maybe it's not affecting him yet, but who knows when it might?!"_ the Gray One replied.

" **Hold on… the Rot? Do you mean the frenzy virus? I don't have that,"** Zim said, trying to find some way to convince the Gray One to let him compete. " **I've long since surpassed the frenzy… it doesn't affect me in the way you think it does. It only makes me stronger now. It's called the Apex State… and I have full control over it."**

" _Regardless, you have too many physical imperfections to give my blessing to,"_ the Gray One said.

" _I think an exception should be made!"_ Ni protested, stepping forward. " _Zim may have the body of a flesh-mammal, but his strength marks him as one of us! I saw him fighting one of the brute-beasts one on one. With his bare paws."_

It was basically a complete lie… Ni had arrived just before Zim would've attacked the Deviljho. But the Rajang knew that Zim would've been able to fight the much larger monster, even without Ni's help.

Once again, the crowd began muttering, this time it carried an impressed vibe rather than a disgusted or shocked one. Fighting a Deviljho clearly carried weight amongst their society. " _Alone against a brute-beast?"_ the Gray One asked, narrowing his eyes again.

" _With no lightning,"_ Ni continued when it looked like the Gray One was starting to reconsider his evaluation of the hybrid. " _Believe it or not, Zim is more than strong enough to tackle the second trial!"_

The Gray One continued to glare at Zim for several minutes more before letting out a frustrated sigh. " _Very well. Your young one has my blessing. He may move on to the second trial…"_ he said. " _On one condition."_

" **One condition?"** Zim asked, raising an eyebrow. " **What would that be?"**

" _You said you had full control over your… apex state, as you called it?"_ the Gray One asked. " _If that's the case… then you'd be able to turn it off, right?"_

" **Of course,"** Zim scoffed, focusing for a moment, before letting go of the apex state. The black mist that swirled around him vanished. Despite him not wearing a shirt or chest plate of any kind, the crystals' light was especially warm. But if Zim had to go outside in the blistering cold without the apex state to protect him… he could easily freeze.

" _In order to continue with your trials, you must promise not to use this apex state of yours. Not once, not under any circumstance. Doing so will immediately disqualify you,"_ the Gray One growled. " _Understood?"_

"I understand," Zim nodded, though it felt a little weird to say so without the apex state changing the pitch of his voice.

" _Good… then as part of your next trial, you will begin a test of your training,"_ the Gray One said, smirking slightly. " _Over the course of the next two days, you must prove to your proctor that you have the necessary training and strength in order to take on your first hunt."_

"Fine," Zim rolled his eyes. Of course, he didn't have any training yet, but he had heard descriptions of Rajangs fighting, and he had seen Ni fight the Deviljho, if only briefly… and once in a dream. He could handle it. "Who's my proctor?"

" _Jor-Kul!"_ the Gray One roared out into the crowd. It took Zim a second to realize that was a name… and that he was requesting for the Rajang in question to step forward. Zim and the others waited, before a thin-looking Rajang finally pushed its way through the crowd.

Not 'thin' as in 'unhealthy.' The Rajang in question looked plenty healthy… it just wasn't quite as bulky as someone like Ni or the Gray One. Jor-Kul was still quite large, bigger than Ni, though not as large as the Gray One, but its arms were much thinner than Ni's. Its horns also curved a different direction than either Ni's or the Gray One's.

" _I am here, Gray One,"_ Jor-Kul said. It took Zim until the Rajang had opened her mouth for him to realize she was female. Which would explain the thinness and the differently curving horns… he spotted a few more female Rajang in the crowd, though he hadn't thought much of it until now.

Jor-Kul's voice was rather rough, even more rough than the Gray One's. Despite her smaller arms, she did carry herself with an air of power. Zim realized that the Gray One must've picked her specifically because he was sure Zim would fail her tests.

" _Jor-Kul, it shall be your task to test the young one's training. If he passes your inspections within the given time frame, then he shall be allowed to take on the third and final trial,"_ the Gray One said. " _Is that clear, Jor-Kul?"_

" _Of course, Gray One… I'm sure he'll be… fine…"_ Jor-Kul grinned down at the hybrid. It was at that moment that Zim suddenly felt the urge to activate his apex state once more, though he beat that urge back. This was going to be a long two days…

XXX

 **Whew! That was a nice long one for all of you! Two huge pieces of equal importance. Hopefully the constant bold and italics text swapping back and forth didn't get too annoying. Before I sign off, there are just a few things that I'd like to talk about! First, starting with two names. Juunko, the Moga Village Chief, is a name I made up for him. It's pronounced with a 'Y' and not a 'J' so it sounds like 'Yung-co.' Where 'co' is pronounced like you would when you shorten 'company' down to 'co.' But Jor-Kul is pronounced exactly how it sounds… and yeah, now that I think about it, it kinda looks like Superman's dad's name, Jor-El, right? Heh, weird, and definitely something I just now realized.**

 **Anyways… lots of fun things that happened in this chapter. Who is the man in the white armor? Is he a hunter? What kind of armor is he wearing (think MH Tri)? What about Zim? Is he going to be able to pass the second trial? All that and more, next time! So stay tuned until then!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - Aufgelaufen:

Author's Note:

 **A chapter on Wednesday? Why? I can hear the questions and confusion now as I'm writing this, but there's a good reason! Today's my birthday! My first year on fanfiction I wrote a chapter for my birthday all in one day and released it that day. It was stressful but incredibly rewarding, as a little present to everyone reading my fics. Last year, though, I didn't write anything, which was a disappointment now that I look back on it. Which is why I decided to pick the tradition back up again this year!**

 **There's also the fact that I don't want this story to sit very long, since if I don't get this chapter out** _ **now**_ **, it won't be out for another two weeks, probably. So now's the best time to do this. And, since I'm writing this chapter all in one day, it's a little bit on the short side. Please, enjoy!**

XXX

 _Aufgelaufen: Stranded._

" **Ah…** shit…" Ruby hissed as she pulled the needle from her arm. It was the last serum Dr. Steele had given her and she was finally out. Now there was nothing left between her and the bottomless void that was the frenzy. She tossed the needle against a tree only a few meters in front of her, shattering the glass against the bark.

She reached back into her backpack and pulled out a well-done steak. She was running low on food, but that wasn't her immediate concern. When she finally fully succumbed to the frenzy, she had no doubt she'd be able to hunt for herself. "I hope eating raw meat won't kill me while I'm frenzied," she grumbled, before biting into the steak.

She still wasn't entirely sure what she was doing. Three choices, all of them awful. But out of all the choices, this one meant _not_ giving birth to a… well, a monster. Even if going Apex was the hardest out of all the options, she had to figure out how to do it. She had gotten good and lost, just to make sure she wouldn't accidentally stumble back to Bherna after she succumbed.

It had taken a few days to find a good place to hunker down and focus on conquering the frenzy. And in that time, she had ran out of the serum. And she had no idea how to even _start_ down the path to going Apex. Her original idea was to find an Apex monster and try and talk to it.

But she hadn't even seen a single monster as she trekked through the Frontier. Let alone an Apex one. With her one and only idea practically shot, she had to try something different. Ruby tossed the bone that the well-done steak was wrapped around aside, before hopping up on her feet.

Ruby did a few stretches, cracking a few joints as she did. She had managed to find a nice little oasis in the Jurassic Frontier. The water was fresh, the shade was nice to escape the heat, and there was a little cave that seemed to have been made by a Bullfango. It was the perfect place to stay. "Now… I just hope I can remember where this place is when I lose control," Ruby muttered as she headed out of the oasis.

She had brought with her only a single bag of very limited supplies. She had not brought her bow or any armor. She wouldn't have any need of them, regardless of how this went, and she didn't want to accidentally damage them either. The only thing she had left was a few well-done steaks, but they'd only last another day at most.

The sun was high up in the air, casting a warm glow onto the Jurassic Frontier. It was time for her to do… something. She didn't have very long until the serum ran out, and she still wasn't sure what she was going to do. For all she knew… she was already screwed.

She made her way out of the oasis and just started walking. She figured at the very least she'd establish some sort of territory that she could hunt in and defend. Maybe acting more like a monster would give her an idea. It wasn't like she'd have much of a choice when the serum wore off.

The oasis was nothing more than a small clearing surrounded by the trees of the Jurassic Frontier. Much of the Frontier was covered in forest, and it would make it incredibly difficult for Ruby to find her way out, even if she did go Apex. She was a little worried about even being able to find her way back to the oasis… but if she didn't go out and _try_ something, there was no way she'd ever be able to survive.

Ruby walked for several minutes, trying to memorize the path back to her little oasis. She was just looking for any signs that there could be any monsters living in the vicinity. Anyone she could hopefully talk to. Maybe they had more insight into the frenzy virus than humans did, since it affected them differently than humans.

She heard something approaching her at a rapid pace far too late. She spun around just in time for something to ram into her, knocking her off her feet. She hit the ground and rolled a few feet away from her attacker. She stayed on the ground for a second, just to be sure she wouldn't be attacked immediately, before hopping to her feet.

Her bare skin was caked in dirt and grass, but luckily, the strap covering her breasts hadn't come undone. It was a little superficial, considering she could feel blood running down her back. With the serum still in her body, she didn't have access to her highspeed regeneration, and it could take some time to stop the bleeding naturally.

She turned to face her attacker, before narrowing her eyes. It was a relatively small monster, a pink bird wyvern called a Yian Kut Ku. It let out a loud cawing sound, before doing a little strut, clearly pleased with itself that it had knocked Ruby off her feet.

"Oh fuck you, you little pink bastard," Ruby snarled as she wiped dirt off her skin aggressively. She supposed she _had_ wanted to see a monster… though she had really hoped it would be something else. She'd rather see a Zinogre over a Kut Ku. "Can't you tell I'm unarmed?"

The bird wyvern, however, only flared its wings and opened its yellow beak wide to let out a loud scream. Ruby's eye twitched. A Kut Ku's 'roar' wasn't anywhere near loud enough to cause her to flinch, but it was certainly annoying. "Hey, hello? Can you understand me?" Ruby called out over the sound of the bird wyvern.

The Kut Ku let out a clucking sound, before charging at Ruby, its head bobbing back and forth like a chicken. Ruby rolled out of the way just as the Kut Ku came to a stop, pecking the ground in front of it, before accidentally ramming its beak into the ground. "Don't fucking tell me your brain is too small to understand me," Ruby growled, glaring at the bird wyvern.

It would be an interesting experiment in cross-species language. Why did some monsters understand humans and some couldn't? Was it because their brains were too small? Was it because the language Ruby and the other Knights of the Wolf could understood was something only some monsters could speak? Or maybe it was because some monsters just didn't know how to understand English, irrelevant of brain size.

As fun as it might be for the scientist inside Ruby to ponder the many different questions and answers, she had to be ready for the next charge. A Yian Kut Ku was an extremely weak monster, barely deserving of the title 'monster' to begin with. This one definitely wasn't G-rank… with the hit she took, she'd guess that it wasn't even high rank. But with no weapons and no armor… even a low rank monster could pose a threat if she wasn't careful.

 _Unless I lose myself to the frenzy sometime here soon,_ she muttered internally as she held up her fists, getting ready for a counter-attack. The bird wyvern let out another cry, before racing towards Ruby again, but it stopped short and lobbed a fireball at the human. The fireball hit Ruby's guard, knocking her off her feet again.

The fireball was unexpected, and she had barely had time to protect herself. Of course, all she had done was burn her arms. The Kut Ku didn't give up, however, racing towards Ruby once again, even though she was still on the ground.

Ruby rolled to a stop, before trying to push herself back up onto her feet. But her singed arms stung far too much for her to do more than roll onto her stomach. The Kut Ku began pecking the ground once again, its beak slamming onto the human's back. But it was nowhere near as hard as she was expecting. But things were about to get much worse…

Because instead of the pain of the Kut Ku's beak piercing her flesh, she felt the uncomfortable feeling of cloth rubbing against her sensitive skin. It was at that moment she realized that the Kut Ku hadn't ambushed her to pick a fight. They weren't usually known as aggressive animals, after all.

No… the Kut Ku could have easily killed Ruby in a single hit if it had aimed for her spine… but it wasn't aiming for her spine. It wasn't trying to kill her. The Kut Ku pulled away from Ruby, holding the piece of cloth she had been wearing around her chest to cover her breasts.

Ruby sat up immediately, instinctively covering herself as she turned to glare at the Kut Ku. They weren't aggressive… but they were certainly inquisitive. And this one seemed to be a prankster of sorts. "Okay, okay, fine, you got me… give it back," Ruby growled, holding one of her arms out. Maybe the beast _could_ talk to her, and was just toying with her.

But the Kut Ku only warbled and raced in the opposite direction, its head bobbing back and forth. "H… hey!" Ruby called out, before racing after the bird wyvern. What the hell was it doing? _Maybe it can't understand me and it's just being an ass,_ she growled internally as she jumped over a fallen log, doing her best to keep up with the more mobile monster.

No matter how hard she tried, however, she couldn't keep up with the Kut Ku. It was just too fast. It easily cleared the debris on the forest floor, while Ruby continued to trip and stumble, losing even more ground. Eventually, the Kut Ku broke through the forest line and raced into a huge field.

By the time Ruby had finally made it through to the forest line, her teeth were bared and her canines had elongated from the effects of the frenzy. The serum had begun wearing off, but her sheer frustration and rage had pushed the virus to fight the nulberries. She was still in control… but only barely.

" **Give… it…** _ **back!**_ " Ruby roared, before breaking out into a full run. The Kut Ku had paused in the middle of the field, clearly waiting for her. This was just a game to it… it _wanted_ her to follow it.

The Kut Ku warbled again, clearing enjoying its game, turned around to start running once again. However, Ruby had gained speed as the frenzy began overwhelming her, and she was finally catching up to it. The Kut Ku, hearing Ruby let out another roar, squawked in fear as it let loose a burst of speed, pulling ahead once again.

It had no idea that humans could be that fast… or sound that angry. Ruby sounded much bigger than she actually was, which terrified the relatively small bird wyvern. Sure, it had learned that humans wearing those weird skins and furs and carrying those pointy sticks were not to be trifled with… but the other humans were good fun! Why was this one suddenly so scary?

The Kut Ku kept running, unaware that it was crossing a nearly invisible threshold. It didn't have the time to stop and scent the air. If it did… it would know that it was walking into claimed territory. Something _evil_ lived nearby, and if the Kut Ku knew, it would've preferred Ruby over what was coming for it.

Ruby roared again as the bird wyvern gained more ground, but a black shadow overhead caused her to skid to a stop. Her frenzied mind wasn't too far gone to realize the threat as something swooped down from above, slamming into the Yian Kut Ku. The sound of snapping bones filled the air as the Kut Ku was practically crushed under the weight of its assailant.

Ruby took a step backwards as she saw the much larger, purplish-black bird wyvern delivered three accurate pecks to the Kut Ku, killing it immediately. The low rank monster was unable to withstand the blows from the stronger Yian Garuga. Ruby's eyes could only widen as the Garuga turned to glare at her.

Unlike a Yian Kut Ku, a Yian Garuga was incredibly aggressive and territorial. " **I don't suppose you can talk either?"** Ruby at least tried to calm the Garuga down while she still had the mental capacity to. But the Garuga only let out a terrifying scream, if it could understand Ruby, it didn't care what she had to say.

" **Guess I'm not getting my top back then,"** Ruby growled as she turned on her heel and raced back towards the cover of the forest. She wasn't sure where the Garuga's territory ended, and she wasn't sure if it would stop pursuing her even if she crossed out of it, but she hoped at the very least she could lose the bird wyvern in the trees.

The Garuga gave chase, as was its nature. Its run was equally as awkward as the Kut Ku's, but it was twice as fast. Even with the frenzy slowly taking over Ruby's mind, healing her wounds and enhancing her muscles, she was maintaining a very small lead that was shrinking rapidly.

Ruby pushed her body as hard as she could, the edge of the forest was so close… yet too far away for her to make it. The Yian Garuga slammed into her back, knocking her over. She turned over onto her back before it could pin her and held up her hands to try and catch the Garuga's beak before it could make impact with her face. Her high speed regeneration wasn't good enough to take more than a few hits from the Garuga.

She managed to catch the Garuga's beak before it hit her face. The bird wyvern was strong… very strong, it took every ounce of her strength to keep the monster's beak from impaling her. They remained locked like that for nearly a minute, before Ruby felt its strength wane.

 _I guess I have more stamina,_ Ruby grinned as she readjusted her grip, before twisting the bird wyvern's head roughly, snapping its neck without a problem. Much like a chicken, a bird wyvern's neck was rather weak. The light died from the Garuga's eyes as it slumped to the side, allowing Ruby to slip out from underneath it.

But it didn't last very long. Despite having its neck snapped, the Garuga's neck _cracked_ back into place, its high speed regeneration kicking in. But Ruby was already running again. She had no intentions of standing there, waiting for the Garuga to right itself to fight again. Hopefully after an injury like that, it would retreat.

The Garuga let out another scream, before chasing after Ruby once again. " **Of fucking course not,"** Ruby snarled as she made it to the tree line. But at least she would be able to lose the Garuga in the trees. Or at least, she had thought so.

Right as she made it into the forest, the Garuga launched a fireball at her. Much like the Yian Kut Ku, the Yian Garuga can fire off fireballs… though usually with limited range. But by taking a running start, the combined momentum of the fireball and the running Garuga allowed it to lob a ball of flame far enough to smack Ruby in the back, sending her back down to the dirt _again_.

Cursing to herself, Ruby quickly rolled onto her feet, her high speed regeneration healing the burns on her back. It was incredibly shameful, being hit and knocked over so many times. She was a hunter not too long ago, and a damn good one too! Even without weapons or armor, she should easily be evading the Garuga's attacks.

 _Maybe you're just not as good as you thought._

The thought echoed through Ruby's mind as the Garuga charged her again, quickly closing the distance between itself and the human. Ruby ground her teeth together so hard that it hurt, her rage boiling over. Black mist seeped from tiny pores in her skin, creating a type of miasma around her as her pinkish eyes turned blood red.

 _Maybe you should just give into the frenzy._

Ruby shifted her stance as the Garuga got closer, but remained rooted to the spot. She wasn't running anymore. The Garuga, not realizing the sudden danger it was in, slammed into Ruby at full speed. But the human once again grabbed the Garuga's beak and put all her might into stopping its charge.

 _You were never going to go Apex in the first place._

The Garuga let out a squawk as it was stopped in its tracks. Ruby had only skidded a few meters from her original spot before successfully halting the monster. The bird wyvern tried to break free from Ruby's grasp, but the human held on tight, her fingers digging into the monster's beak, and prying it apart.

 _It's time to just… surrender._

Ruby growled and grunted as she began pulling the Garuga's beak apart. Much like the Kut Ku, the Garuga could open its mouth quite wide, but that fact didn't save the bird wyvern from having the top half of its head torn off. The Garuga's body dropped to the ground, a bloody gurgle escaping its throat as Ruby tossed the top half of its head aside.

" **Die,"** Ruby snarled as she brought her foot down on what was left of the Garuga's head. " **Die… die…** _ **die!**_ " she roared as she continued to stomp on the bird wyvern, what remained of its head to mush, crushing and cracking even the tough beak of the monster.

Ruby finished her rampage and took a step back a few minutes later. There was no way the Garuga would be able to recover from such a wound, it was dead. It had died five minutes ago, but that hadn't stopped Ruby's frenzied mind from making absolutely sure. Not even an Elder Dragon could recover from such a beating.

Ruby stared at the corpse for a few minutes, before another roar slipped from her throat. A roar of triumph, instead of rage and anger. She was victorious! She had made her first kill while frenzied, and this was only the beginning. Now that she had given in, it was time to go on a rampage. It was the only thing her frenzied mind could think of. The thought of going apex had all but been abandoned.

 _ **It's time to embrace the frenzy!**_

XXX

The night passed and the sun slowly rose the next morning. Rachel lay huddled around her hatchlings, but she had not slept a wink. And not just because her stomach was growling. All their stomachs were growling, as they had not eaten for nearly a day. The hatchlings needed food soon or they'd die… and Rachel wouldn't be able to continue healing unless she got some food.

But that wasn't why she hadn't been able to sleep. Her neck was craned awkwardly on the floor as she stared at the mouth of the cave. She couldn't take her eyes off of it… as every second that passed where he didn't come back was torture.

It was getting harder and harder to have any hope. She didn't want to believe that he wasn't coming back… but it was beginning to look like that was the case. And it was all her fault… all because she was just being too nosey. He had gotten offended and then… he left.

The sun rose, casting streams of light through the mouth of the cave, but not once had Rachel heard anything that sounded remotely like the unique sound Val made when he flew. It was probably hopeless to just sit here and wait. Her hatchlings were hungry… and so was she. They needed food, and they needed it now.

With a low grunt, she stood from her nest, her hatchlings still very much asleep, before heading towards the mouth of the cave. They'd hopefully stay sleeping while she hunted… she wouldn't go too far from the cave. Just far enough to get water and food.

She sent one last glance at her hatchlings, before leaving her cave for the first time in days. And the moment she stepped out into the light, she couldn't help but instinctively spread her tattered wings. The sun felt so good on her scales… it was something she had missed dearly. She had been cooped up in her cave for far too long.

She glanced at her wings and let out a sigh. For a moment, she had forgotten she couldn't fly. Her wing membrane had begun to regenerate, but not nearly enough to allow her to fly. So she folded her wings back, keeping what she had healed protected, before hopping off the ledge the mouth of her cave was embedded in.

It was only at that moment she realized it wouldn't be easy getting back into the cave. The ledge the cave was on was taller than her, and without front limbs or wings to fly, climbing it would be a challenge. But she forced herself to forget about getting back to her hatchlings… she had to hunt first.

She headed away from her cave, her nostrils flaring as she picked up the scent of prey. She was used to spotting prey from their air, so hunting by scent was new to her. But not something she couldn't figure out how to do. Vespoids buzzed around her head, but she ignored them as she rounded a corner and headed towards a small pond that she knew of. It was the best place to start looking.

She made her way through the Verdant Hills, or at least, that's what Val had called it, as quietly as she could. Approaching from the air was so much easier than hunting on foot… and it was stealthier too. But eventually, the Rathian made her way to a small pond not too far from her cave. And there were a few Kelbi drinking the water.

Chasing down Kelbi would be difficult… she'd have to use her fire. She took a moment to judge the distance between herself and the Kelbi, before letting out a roar. The Kelbi jumped out of their fur, but weren't fast enough to get away as three fireballs screamed towards the small herd in rapid succession.

Only one of the fireballs missed, just singing one of the deer-like monster's legs, but the other two connected. The strength of the fireballs blasted the Kelbi off their feet, scorching their rumps, and rendering their back pair of legs useless. The rest of the herd raced away from the pond as fast as they could, another one of Rachel's roars echoing after them.

It felt so good to hunt again! And the fact that she was able to bag something on her first try made her feel all warm inside. She padded over to the closed Kelbi and bit into its stomach, eagerly digging in. Her fireball had cooked the back half of the deer-like creature quite well, if she wasn't so hungry, she might've blasted the Kelbi again to finish cooking it.

But starvation urged her to just eat, and eat she did. She tore the Kelbi apart, devouring its skin, muscles, and internal organs. She avoided the bones, as her jaws still hurt a bit, and she didn't think she could crack bones at the moment. But once that was all that was left of the Kelbi, Rachel made her way over to the pond to clean her face.

It wasn't very sanitary to leave blood stained all over her scales, and it certainly wasn't very attractive either. She didn't think of herself as a vain creature, but she dunked her head into the water nonetheless. She pulled her head out of the water and shook it much like a canine might. Droplets of water flung around the clearing, but at least she was cleaned of any blood.

Rachel waited for the water to settle before dipping her head back in. This time for a drink. But she paused before scooping up some water. The water was quite clear, showing the Rathian's reflection in the pond, gentle ripples causing the image to curve and bend slightly. There was something… different in her appearance.

She didn't normally get the chance to look at herself… she really didn't think of herself as vain. But she was sure she was a vibrant, forest green color. It was tough to see in the small pond, but she could swear her normally green shell was looking a lot more… purple. _Maybe it's just a trick of the water,_ she thought, though she continued to stare at her reflection for several minutes.

Eventually, she realized her face was still dunked in the pond, and she pulled away while scooping up some water to drink at the same time. The ripples shattered the image, distorting it beyond recognition, but the little change did make Rachel curious. Perhaps she should ask one of her hatchlings to get a better look at her shell.

Nodding to herself, she grabbed the second Kelbi and marched back towards her cave. She was careful not to bite down too hard on the deer-like monster, she wouldn't want to cake her face in blood again, or squeeze out any of the flavor her hatchlings would love. She rounded the corner again, and stalked towards the ledge her cave was on.

 _This is going to be embarrassing,_ she muttered to herself, before tossing the carcass up onto the ledge. Getting herself up there was going to be a lot harder, however. She craned her neck, setting her head on the edge of the ledge, before using her neck muscles to hoist herself up as much as she could. Her back legs scrabbled against the dirt on the ledge, helping pull herself up.

It was absolutely the most embarrassing thing she had ever done. She looked a pathetic human struggling its way up a cliff it shouldn't be able to scale. But eventually, she hefted her weight onto the ledge, and pulled herself up. She picked the Kelbi back up and headed back into her cave, triumph returning to her eyes once more.

Only for her to halt in her step, dropping the corpse back onto the ground. Her heart started beating rapidly, as if it was trying to burrow its way out of her chest. _Is this a dream?_ she wondered internally.

But it wasn't a dream. There, in the center of her cave, feeding her hatchlings bits of meat from his mouth, was Val. " _You're back!"_ Rachel called out. How had she given up on him so easily? _Why_ had she given up on him? Of course he was going to come back to her! Her heart continued to beat rapidly as she raced over to the Elder Dragon with a grin on her face.

" _Of course,"_ Val replied simply, not at all fazed by how quickly she rushed over to him. " _I see you went hunting… impatient, huh?"_

" _Val… I'm so sorry!"_ Rachel all but wailed as she pressed her face against his. It was the closest thing to a hug she could achieve. If she could cry, she would probably be bawling her eyes out. " _I was so rude to you! And you came back despite that! I thought I scared you away for good…"_

" _Shh, shh, shh…"_ Val soothed, and to his credit, he didn't pull away from Rachel like he normally would. " _I overreacted, it's not your fault… and I'm sorry I took so long… I just needed to clear my head."_

" _I'm just… so sorry… I promise I'll never be that rude or pushy again!"_ Rachel promised, pulling away from Val before he could complain. She didn't want to push him away any more than she already had. " _Why should I care about what you do? I should just be happy you're here helping me recover!"_

Val stared at her for a moment, before eventually sighing, " _You should feed your hatchlings. They're still wary of me."_ He stepped aside, allowing Rachel to take his place. He had caught a Ludroth, something that Rachel had only seen a few times when flying out over the sea.

Rachel bit her tongue, the reason her hatchlings were still frightened of him was because he had practically attacked her. But she didn't dare say that. " _If I knew you were coming back, I wouldn't have caught that extra Kelbi,"_ she said, before tearing into the Ludroth. " _You can have it, I already ate."_

It wasn't even really a request to eat, it was just an offer. She was going to uphold her promise. She held the chunks of Ludroth over her hatchlings, letting them reach up and tear off smaller bites, chewing them up, and then swallowing them, before going back for more. They were happy to just have some food.

" _Are you sure?"_ Val asked, glancing at the Kelbi Rachel had caught.

" _I didn't know you were coming back, so I already hunted something for myself,"_ Rachel replied honestly, before grabbing another chunk of Ludroth for her hatchlings.

Val remained silent as he padded over to the Kelbi. He hadn't eaten in quite a while, and he was sure Rachel was telling the truth. After clearing his head and realizing he needed to apologize just as much as Rachel did, he figured the least he could do was eat something she caught.

Rachel caught Val eating the Kelbi out of the corner of her eye, but she didn't turn towards him. She didn't want to make him any more uncomfortable than he already was. She just focused on feeding her hatchlings.

Several minutes went by where the monsters in the cave just focused on eating. The only sound echoing through the cavern was the sound of tearing meat and breaking bones. Val finished the Kelbi off first, leaving nothing more than a bloodstain behind. The Elder Dragon stood up, stretching as he did.

Rachel once again caught Val moving out of the corner of her eye, but this time he was heading towards the mouth of the cave. " _Are you leaving again?"_ she asked as her hatchlings lied back down, done eating.

Val paused, but turned his head slightly to look at the Rathian. " _No… I'm just going to go clean my face,"_ he said, before taking off, flying out of the cave at a speed only he could achieve. Rachel's heart fluttered again, a smile spreading across her lips. She felt as though they had made progress… but all she really cared about was that he was back.

XXX

 **Ah… that turned out a lot longer than I thought it would. But I just tore through this chapter, I couldn't stop typing! I guess I feel incredibly motivated today… which is why I released the chapter as early as I could. Originally, this was just going to be a Ruby chapter, but I finished that part off so early that I couldn't stop myself from writing more! So instead of a short chapter, you all get a long one instead!**

 **There's a lot of fun things to say about this chapter. Firstly… I fucking** _ **hate**_ **Yian Garuga. Poison, fire, roaring, flying, surprisingly well armored, and looks like a fucking chicken are all sins against that monster. Not to mention the fact that in MH4U its hitboxes are surprisingly janky, and it inflicts way more damage that it's supposed to. It's just an awful monster that I hate… but its cardinal sin is the fact that its armor is good. The game practically forces you to hunt it. At** _ **least**_ **in MHG aerial style makes everything your bitch.**

 **With that out of the way, I would just like to quickly clarify that Ruby has** _ **not**_ **gone Apex. Just in case anyone was confused, she's not conquered the virus yet… that would be too easy! Oh no, she's going to suffer for a bit… and whether or not she'll actually conquer it, well… I guess you'll have to wait and find out. As for Val and Rachel, they seem to have cooled off a bit, and hopefully Val is ready to start being a bit more open. Who knows? They may actually become more than just friends. All that and more, next time (which hopefully won't be more than a few weeks… I hope…)!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Auswirkung:

Author's Note:

 **Last chapter was our first glimpse of Ruby's descent into the frenzy. And unfortunately, we won't be seeing her this chapter. We won't be seeing Rachel and Val either. There's a lot going on in this story, and we can't see it all in one chapter. But don't you worry, we'll still be seeing something… and this chapter cycles back to Zim and Jor-Kul. Please, enjoy!**

XXX

 _Auswirkung: Impact._

Zim was unable to suppress a shiver as he followed Jor-Kul out of the cave. The Arctic Ridge, as the name implied, was freezing. The cave was heated by those strange crystals, but the further Zim stepped out of the cavern, the colder it got. And without the Apex state active… he was vulnerable to the cold.

Jor-Kul lead the human out of the cave and down the side of the mountain. She was moving rather slow so Zim could keep pace with her, but the hybrid figured she had some ulterior motive. Perhaps she was moving slow just so he would freeze faster. If he died out here, then he would automatically fail the test.

Of course he didn't plan on dying. At any point he felt hypothermia starting to set in, he could just activate his Apex state and save himself. But then he'd automatically fail the test. It seemed like a lose-lose. If he didn't go Apex, he would freeze, and if he did, he would fail the test.

" _Alright flesh-mammal… here's good enough,"_ Jor-Kul said, coming to a stop about halfway down the mountain. She had found a nice ledge that, while not particularly large, it gave them plenty of space to spar.

"Don't call me that," Zim growled, rubbing his hands together, hoping the friction would warm him up a bit. It didn't. "I have a name."

" _And? You've hardly earned enough respect to be called anything more than you are. A pathetic flesh-mammal,"_ Jor-Kul huffed.

Zim ground his teeth together, but anger wasn't helping him stay warm. "It would be like me calling you 'Rajang' because you haven't earned enough respect for me to call you more than what you are either!" he explained.

" _I'll earn your respect soon enough, flesh-mammal. I can't say the same for you,"_ Jor-Kul smirked. Zim muttered a curse that was lost to a gust of frigid wind that whipped across the mountain. " _Now then… your second test is an examination of your combat capabilities and training. Without the proper training, there is no reason to believe that you would be able to pass the third and final test."_

"So it's just a trial by combat type thing," Zim deadpanned, shivering even harder as the winds whipped around him.

" _To put it bluntly, yes. You and I will spar until the two days are up, or you manage to impress me with your skill and strength. But I doubt that'll happen,"_ she snickered. " _I assume you've never had any combat training, flesh-mammal?"_

"Not the Rajang kind, no," he shook his head stiffly. "But that doesn't mean I can't fight."

" _We'll see about that,"_ Jor-Kul growled as she lowered herself in an attack position. Zim barely had the time, or the strength, to do the same before she was on top of him. He managed to throw up his arms defensively to block a vicious punch, but his fragile human body couldn't take the stress.

His arms snapped like twigs and she smashed him across the face, launching him several meters away. He rolled upon landing, trying to get to his feet before the next attack came, but he was still too slow. She rammed into him at full speed with all her weight behind her. He was lucky to avoid her sharp horns, but he was still knocked off his feet, his ribs crushed as he was tossed to the ground again.

All he could do was let out a ragged cough as she quickly caught up to him and brought all her weight down on him in a brutal bodyslam. He felt his flesh rip open as his broken bones tore through his skin, letting the cool air inside of him. Pain was a sensation that he was familiar with, but unaccustomed to… with the Apex state up, he couldn't feel anything. He felt so… defenseless, and for the first time in a very long time, he was worried about actually dying.

Jor-Kul grabbed on of his legs, the force of her grip more than enough to shatter his leg bone, before throwing him towards the edge of the ledge. With what strength he had left, he plunged his arms into the snow the moment he could, preventing himself from sliding face first off the mountain. The Rajang didn't pursue him, however, giving him just a moment of respite to grit his teeth and push himself to his feet.

His bones cracked back into place and repaired themselves while the sizzling sound of his flesh mending itself back together filled the air. Another freezing gust blew across the mountain, but Zim didn't shiver. The amount of adrenaline boiling throughout his blood was tricking his brain into thinking it wasn't cold, but he knew that his body temperature was still rapidly dropping.

" _So you can heal yourself,"_ Jor-Kul noted as she watched the damage she had inflicted on the hybrid melt away. " _Relatively quickly too… and those were quite serious injuries as well. But I think I can inflict even more serious ones."_

Zim shifted into a defensive position just in time to block and counter one of Jor-Kul's punches. His left arm shattered from deflecting the blow, but his right arm managed to give a mean right hook across the Rajang's face. Her head snapped back from the force of the blow, giving Zim time to back up and let his arms heal again. He could tell his right arm had been damaged during the attack as well… it seemed he was hitting too hard for his human body to handle as well.

Jor-Kul let out a roar of frustration as she launched herself at Zim again, clearly not pleased with his counterattack. Instead of a single punch this time, she went for a flurry of blows. Right, left, right, left, right, left, one after another. Zim managed to deflect the first few attacks, but when he tried to counter, it left his guard open and he was quickly overwhelmed.

The Rajang seamlessly transferred into a spinning move, knocking the hybrid's legs out from underneath him. He rolled several meters away, his body already healing his newly broken bones. He was suddenly worried about how long he could keep repairing himself. He knew that all monsters had their limits with their healing… but he had never come anywhere near his limit before. Was he getting close? Or could he take a few more punches?

Jor-Kul leapt into the air and divebombed him, tucking herself into a circle and spinning through the air to gain momentum. But Zim was already getting to his feet. He held his hands up and grabbed the Rajang by her horns right before she smashed into him. Quite a bit of force transferred into his body, he could practically feel his spine groaning from the stress, but he held up just fine.

The same could not be said of Jor-Kul, however. When Zim grabbed her horns, she was forced to stop spinning on a dime, and the torque she had created backlashed onto her. She let out a moan of pain as her muscles screamed, but nothing broke… it would only take a few seconds to heal it off.

Zim kept her suspended in the air for a few seconds, before spinning around and throwing her as hard as he could, gathering as much momentum as possible. The heavy monster flew several meters away, before hitting the show on all fours, much like a Palico might. But Jor-Kul didn't _just_ hit the ground, however.

The moment she hit the ground, she leapt backwards, her black fur turning golden as strands on her back spiked upwards. _Ah shit,_ Zim growled internally, remembering Malakai saying something about how Rajang didn't need feel the need to roar to enter rage mode. They just did. And they could fire off their beam without much warning.

Zim only had time to move mere inches out of the way before the beam ripped into him. He tripped and stumbled in the deep snow, the pure white becoming stained with red. But to his surprise… it didn't hurt. At least not yet. Maybe he hadn't been hit that hard… maybe the beam only grazed him.

" _Now_ _ **that's**_ _a real injury,"_ Jor-Kul cackled as she watched Zim drag himself over to the side of the mountain the ledge was jutting off from. He was panting hard and shivering violently, and for good reason too.

Zim finally looked down, only for his eyes to widen in horror. The beam had caught his left shoulder and a decent part of his chest, carving out a circle-shaped hole in his torso. The beam had been wide enough that it also took off his arm, explaining why it didn't seem to be responding to his commands. "Fuck… fuck… fuck…" Zim growled between pants. The damage was absolutely serious.

Had quickly stopped seeping from the wound as another blast of frozen wind chilled the hole in his body, freezing the blood vessels and stopping their flow. But the injury was still severe, even if he wasn't bleeding out. He had no idea how long it would take to grow a new arm… or if he even _could_.

He could feel his flesh repairing itself, but he wasn't sure if it was just going to cover the wound or if a new arm would sprout from its socket. If there was a socket left to speak of. _Just a minute in the Apex state and I could repair all this… I'm positive,_ he grumbled internally as he turned around and leaned against the side of the mountain, panting hard. The freezing cold, the relentless punches, and now lightning beams… he was positive his highspeed regeneration was reaching its limits.

" _Are you done yet? We've only been fighting for five minutes and you've taken more damage than I've ever received in my entire lifetime,"_ Jor-Kul said, relaxing her aggressive stance. The fur on her back began to relax and change from gold to black once more. She was still quite close to the edge of the ledge, but she didn't approach him.

"And that doesn't impress you?" Zim managed a small smirk. He glanced down at his missing arm, but there had been little change in its healing progress.

" _You flesh-mammals are notoriously difficult to kill. Even without our healing factor, they've created ways around it. Just because you can take a lot of punishment… doesn't impress me one bit,"_ Jor-Kul shook her head.

"I'm not done yet," Zim growled, gritting his teeth again as he felt a surge of strength race through his core. Bone began sprouting from the empty hole in his torso, repairing his shoulder and the socket where his arm was held.

" _An unwise decision,"_ Jor-Kul rolled her eyes. " _Face it. You have no chance here. I could spend hours pummeling you into the snow, turning this entire ledge red with your blood. If your spirit won't break, then your body will. Regeneration is a finite resource… how much longer do you think you could heal? Do you think you can take another lightning attack? What about a smashed spine? Is it really worth killing yourself just to fail in the end? You will_ _ **never**_ _impress me."_

"And who decided that?" Zim growled as he pushed himself to his feet as more of his arm grew back. It was just plain bone at the moment, but it would soon be covered by muscle and flesh.

Jor-Kul's eyes narrowed as she watched the hybrid strike a new stance, this one much more aggressive. His arm was still healing, but apparently he was planning to fight despite it. " _Admirable, but misplaced,"_ she chuckled, the fur on her back spiking up again and turning golden in her rage once more. " _So far I've been pulling my punches. But no longer… you'll never get to lay a finger on me."_

"I won't be able to touch you? And who decided that? I won't be able to impress you? And who decided that? I'm _inferior_ to you? And who… decided that?" the hybrid hissed as his arm finished healing. A snarl was present on his face as he pointed at Jor-Kul with his newly repaired arm, his eyes flashing a deep red and his white fangs glinting in the occasional flash of sunlight streaming through the thick clouds. "The _only_ one who gets to decide such things… is me."

" _Spare me the bravado,"_ the Rajang rolled her eyes as she sucked in a deep breath. " _If you want to push yourself to death, that's fine with me. A corpse can't change my mind."_

Zim chose not to reply with words, rather, he unleashed a frightening roar, the loudest one he could possibly produce. Jor-Kul flicked an ear, but quickly mimicked him, their cries mixing together, each one trying to outdo the other. But in the end, it seemed to be a draw. The hybrid was just as loud as the full-blooded Rajang, he even sounded one too.

Jor-Kul wasn't about to let him take his 'victory' in stride, however, as she transferred from roaring to firing her beam of lightning nearly instantaneously. Zim was ready, however, predicting that she would try something like that again. It was really her only ranged attack. It was one of the most powerful abilities any monster had access too, but if it was dodged, it left her wide open.

Zim jumped out of the way and raced towards the Rajang, closing the distance between them. Jor-Kul's jaws snapped shut as she prepared to push Zim back with her fists, but the hybrid had gotten too close too quickly. He grabbed onto her horns, and with all his strength, lifted her up, and threw her off the mountain side.

In a matter of seconds he had already proved her prediction wrong. Not only had he been able to lay a finger on her, but he had done so to her horns, one of the most dangerous and well protected parts of her body. And then he threw her off the mountain like she was a piece of meat he didn't like.

She didn't scream as she fell, she quickly and expertly curled into a ball and began summersaulting through the air. Rajang were used to jumping and falling from great heights. They were a bit like felines, always able to land on their feet. And there was quite a bit of snow on the ground, she was sure she was in for a soft landing.

But as she fell through the air, Zim leapt off the cliff right behind her. Unlike her tactic of summersaulting, Zim put both his arms forward and narrowed his body as much as he could, knifing through the air, gaining a tremendous amount of speed, until he hit terminal velocity.

The mountain was tall, giving them both plenty of time to fall. Once Zim felt he had reached enough speed, he cocked one of his fists back, prepared to unleash all that energy and momentum in a single punch that would devastate even Jor-Kul.

The Rajang landed first, confident smirk on her face as she sunk into the snow quite safely. " _And what did that accomp-"_ she started to say as she looked upwards towards the ledge, only to see Zim barreling towards her at a frightening speed. Her eyes widened as she tried to process what was happening, but even if she had started moving right as she landed, she wouldn't have been left with enough time to dodge.

Zim unleashed all the kinetic energy he had gathered through falling in a single punch the very second he was within the optimal range. The resulting release of energy rivaled that of a sizeable cluster of large barrel bomb pluses. An enormous amount of snow flew up into the air from the impact, before lightly raining back down over the course of the next few minutes.

Zim could feel his body take the weight of the impact, nearly half his torso had been completely obliterated. He lost his left arm again, though it was still hanging by a thread, so it would be easier to repair, at least, and he could feel some of his organs bursting. His spine had snapped in a few places, buckling under the pressure… but Jor-Kul was equally worse for wear. Zim had landed right on the middle of her back, ripping her spine apart in the process, and bursting more than a few of her internal organs as well.

He had forced her arms to buckle, though they didn't break, they collapsed under the force of the blow. When Zim rolled off of her to start recovering, she was coughing up blood. Her gorgeous golden pelt was stained red from not just her own blood, but Zim's as well. Luckily, the snow would probably wash it out.

The sound of the collision had turned more than a few heads. Some wisely ran in the opposite direction, fearing something big like an Ukanlos, while some of the other sparring pairs of Rajang took a quick break to investigate what had happened. They made their way carefully over to the area where Jor-Kul and Zim were recovering, their eyes widening when they saw what had happened.

Zim was recovering much quicker than his Rajang opponent, his flesh stitching back together and his bones mending in a matter of minutes. "It seemed all my regeneration needed was a kick in the ass to get moving out here in the cold," he grinned as he hopped to his feet, as good as new. "I'm nowhere near my limit, Jor-Kul… and I _will_ make you respect me."

Jor-Kul was busy gasping for air as a new set of lungs began to fill her chest cavity. The collision had done a number on her… it was the most damage she had ever had to repair at once. And unlike Zim, she was well aware of a Rajang's healing limits. She had _never_ been this close to them before. By the time she stood up and faced the hybrid, there was a look of caution on her face that he definitely noticed.

The other pairs of Rajang that had gathered to see what had happened didn't leave once the two stood up. They stayed, forming a loose ring around them, suddenly invested in how this bout would turn out. They could feel that it was only a matter of time until one of them emerged victorious.

" _I'll admit, you took me by surprise… but in the third test, surprise won't be enough,"_ Jor-Kul hissed. " _You're strong and you've got a good healing factor, but-"_

"What _is_ the third test? You're speaking like you already know what it is! Why not just tell me? Maybe if you tell me, _I_ can assess _my_ chances in succeeding," Zim growled, crossing his arms.

" _I'm not supposed to reveal the contents of the final test,"_ Jor-Kul admitted. " _But I doubt even if you knew what it was, you would still be too confident in your abilities."_

"Then I'll make you believe in me," Zim sighed, rolling his eyes. He cracked his neck, before balling his hands into fists. "I have two days to make you believe… I'll _outlast_ you."

Jor-Kul's eyes widened at that… arrogant remark. Flesh-mammals had an enormous amount of stamina, many, many times more than any monster. Without food or rest, even enraged, they weren't anywhere near a flesh-mammal under the same conditions. If Zim's highspeed regeneration continued to perform admirably… he could easily outlast her.

Deciding to stop messing around, she stood on her hind legs and beat her chest ferociously while letting out a vicious roar. Zim watched the display unimpressed, lowering his stance as he waited for her to make the first move. Jor-Kul's arms glowed red as she hardened the appendages, electricity beginning to bound between the tall spikes of her fur.

She leapt forward, stopping mere inches away from the hybrid. She threw a powerful punch towards his head, but he had already begun his attack at the same time. Zim realized that the only way he could truly impress her, was if he stopped trying to defend against the undefendable assault of the Rajang, and instead focus all his strength towards attacking her directly.

His fist hit her face mere milliseconds before hers hit his face. Her head snapped back from the sheer force of the blow, but Zim spun nearly one hundred and eighty degrees from the strength behind her punch. But he didn't let that momentum go to waist. As he spun, he leapt into the air, brining his fist up as he did. When he came back around, he clocked her right across the jaw, snapping her head in the opposite direction.

She reeled backwards, stumbling as she tried to find her footing. But Zim didn't let up. The fact that he was damaging his arms and hands because of the amount of power behind each blow wasn't even a concern to him. His highspeed regeneration made it so that he barely even noticed he had broken a bone or burst one of his fingers before it was already repaired and he was punching her again.

Almost like he was seeking revenge for the pummeling he had received earlier, he continued his assault with left and right hooks, alternating between the two of them. She took several on the chin, before hopping backwards, breaking the chain of blows and causing Zim to stumble. Seeing her opening, she attempted a bodyslam, raising up on her back legs, before bringing all her weight down on top of him.

The hybrid still wasn't deterred, however, as he readjusted his position just enough to where he was out of range of her body, but between her arms. She had stretched out with her arms so that her relatively small body could cover more space, but it only left her face vulnerable. When she fell forwards, intent on crushing him, he only moved out of the way and kicked upwards, catching her right on her muzzle, causing her head to snap backwards.

It broke his foot too, but it was healed within seconds. It took Jor-Kul much longer to recover from her broken neck. It gave the hybrid time to slip just out of her reach. Unaware that he was no longer close enough to her, she did a spinning move the moment that her head was on right, but even with her entire body used in the spin, she never felt anything connect.

Until right as she stopped, when she ran face first into one of his fists. Her head snapped to the side _again_ as he jumped out of the way of her clumsy counterattack. He was getting faster and more confident. The cold was no longer bothering him and his healing factor was still working in tip-top shape. She was being worn down… but she still had one ace up her sleeve.

Her head cracked back into place, and although she could feel the strain on her highspeed regeneration, she had a feeling this next attack could spell his doom. She spun around, facing him again, and in an instant, fired off another lightning beam. This one aimed at his chest. It was large enough to completely remove his upper torso, maybe even send his head flying.

Unfortunately for her, it never got big enough to do that much damage. She was able to fire off the beam, but before it could grow to full size, Zim raced forward and forced her jaws shut. The beam _had_ hit him, piercing him right through the chest, but he ignored the damage to his heart and lungs and forced her maw closed. The lightning stung her mouth as it continued to try and exit her body, but it didn't do more than burn her lips.

Zim kept a hold of her face, however, keeping her in place as he cocked his spare arm back, clenching his fist hard. The two locked gazes, red against red. Zim's eyes were hardened, aggressive, confident. Jor-Kul's were rage-filled and yet, slightly terrified. The hybrid let his fist fly, letting go of her face right before his blow connected with it.

Jor-Kul's head snapped back yet again, but this time, a different _snapping_ sound filled their air. A huge chunk of Jor-Kul's left horn came free from its base, and with a soft _thunk_ , landed in the snow. The Rajang immediately left her rage mode, the gold hairs on her back turning black and lying flat once more as she stumbled away from Zim.

A Rajang's horns, _especially_ the females', where priceless, precious treasures that each one took enormous pride in. Jor-Kul liked to believe her horns were just a bit thinner and curvier than her fellow females, which set her apart in a sort of vain beauty that she didn't always like to indulge in. But if that horn didn't grow back within the next few minutes… it would be gone for good. And it meant her healing factor was giving out on her.

Zim's wrist cracked back into place as he watched Jor-Kul gently touch the stump jutting out of her head. He waited, and waited, but she never attacked. She just stood there, silently begging for it to come back… but it never did. It was gone for good, and with it, her highspeed regeneration was giving out. "It's over," Zim said plainly after several long minutes had passed without either of them trading blows.

Jor-Kul let out a long sigh as she finally looked back up at him. " _Yes… I think it is…"_ she muttered reluctantly. " _You have managed… to impress me. Despite your lack of training, your sheer power and your enormous determination, combined with your better healing factor and stamina pool… it would be a shame to not let you attempt the third trial."_

"A shame indeed," Zim managed a grin, suppressing another shiver. Now that the battle was over, he was reminded that he was standing shirtless in a frigid tundra. "Can we go back inside the cave now?"

" _I suppose we should,"_ Jor-Kul nodded, before turning back towards the mountain side. The Rajang who had gathered to watch them quickly dispersed, heading back to their own little areas to continue the second test.

 _Ah… damn it…_ Zim muttered internally when he realized he would have to climb the mountain again. But he'd rather scale the mountain and sit in a warm cave rather than wait out here in the cold for the third test to begin. Even after his victory in the second trial… things were only going to get harder from here on out.

XXX

 **Well… that turned out quite a bit longer than I was initially intending. Which is why I'm cutting it here. It's long enough for a good chapter, and I can push Shiro and Malakai's piece to the next chapter without much of a problem. For those of you who actually play Monster Hunter and had fought Rajang before, then you may recognize all of Jor-Kul's moves. They're ripped right from the game, of course. You may see in some places where Zim did his best to try and replicate some of the moves, but might've come up a bit short. Not that it mattered in the end, since he won. But I wonder what the third and final challenge is? You'll just have to stay tuned until next time to find out!**


End file.
